Thank you so much Jean, and your explanation on the issue numbers on the hilt are very helpful. This clarifies the idea procedural protocol that would track the issue history of the sword itself.
All the best,
Jim
I wanted to add some notes to this thread pertaining to sabres of the early 19th century that I hope might add some related perspective.
The early part of the 19th century seems extremely interesting as far as the variations of sword forms. The Napoleonic campaigns in Egypt produced some most interesting influences in military weapons in British swords, much as in degree in French swords. The Mamluk warriors deeply curved sabres must have brought interest in the blades, as the hilts distinctly influenced both British and French officers sabre hilts after the campaigns.
In British swords, the M1803 flank company officers swords seem to have had unusually parabolic blades, though I have never understood exactly why that blade feature was so favored by them. With the M1803, the usual flowing lionhead mane on the hilt with one example I had, carried Egyptian theme with a sphinx type mane on the lionhead. I have seen certain British light cavalry sabres of the earlier M1796 form, in seemingly prototype sense, with deeply parabolic blades and even more unusual with rod type pipeback.
In a recent personal communication there is an example of a British officers mameluke sabre, as shown in Robson "Swords of the British Army" as the pattern 1831, which is mounted with extremely parabolic shamshir blade and mounted in Ottoman type scabbard with slit back for access of this dramatic blade. This in my opinion was likely custom mounted for a British officer in probably southern Arabia, Gulf of Aden, then British occupied and where many military outfitters furbished such custom weapons.
While it appears these fashion effects might not apply with this French sabre, I wanted to illustrate some of the contemporary instances with British officers swords of the period.
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