Hi Jim
Thanks for putting the Officer idea in my head!
Brass was a lot more expensive than steel in those days though so I would have imagined the Officer would have gone for a bit of "Bling" I suppose we will never know.
The sword is nice to hold in the hand but very tight with the guard wrapping around the knuckles.
I was thinking about Normans sword and the bars removed, I wonder is it a later adaptation as peoples hands got bigger as nutrition improved and removing the guard was the only way to keep these types of sword servicable, especially with a gloved hand.
Richard Dellar's book is on my wish list but another one of my areas of interest is WWI and before imperial German/Austrian empire bayonets and I am finding a few of the very elusive ones of these coming up for sale.
But a good book will pay its way back so a decision will have to be made.
Best regards,
Ken
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