G'Day GC,
At this stage I have no idea why Osborn marked some blades with 1,2 or even 4 G's. If you have any theories I am all ears. As to whether or not all Osborn marked officer's blades have a G stamp I can say that every one in my collection does, every one in Richard Dellar's collection does, every one in several other collections does and every one I have come across on the internet with a clear shot of the ricasso does. The majority (possibly all?) Osborn and Gunby marked swords do as well. Originally I thought that Osborn and Gunby stopped marking blades with a G stamp at some stage. Now I am not so sure. The G stamps can be very difficult to spot even on a sword without langets. Can I be sure that 100% of Osborn marked swords have a G stamp? The answer is no, hence the appeal for other collectors to check their swords for G stamps as well. What I am confident of is that the vast majority, (if not all) of Osborn marked officer's swords have one. I am less confident about Osborn's troopers swords as I don't have any in my collection. Richard Dellar has one and he says it doesn't have a stamp. The problem is that troopers' swords are less common in our collections and most have langets. These G stamps can be very difficult to spot behind langets. With several of my own swords I have been convinced they didn't have stamps, only to have another harder look and discover they do have G stamps.
Cheers,
Bryce
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