Mat vs glossy finish- In truth, I've seen and handled both. It also depended on the type of material used during the japanning process. In the earlier cutlass, say pre-1800, they tend to have a flat finish, but whether this was from weathering over time or the advances in types of primer in the later century, I'm not sure. Likewise, one must be careful to look for honest aging, as modern spray paint has a glossy finish.
Your sword- Hmmm. Perhaps the guard has had the paint worn off faster then the pommel/grip? The pics don't tell a full story, as at first, I thought the guard had been primed. Judging from the extensive pitting, I'd say the guard seems to have taken the brunt as far as weathering. That being said, I do have that one cutlass that I posted awhile back with the sheet metal guard, late GR marking and ribbed iron cast grip. It's sheet guard had only a very light brown primer compared to the grip and blade. Not sure why this is.
That pic of the Portugeuse sword is the best. A m1803 on the 'Bay not that long ago had a grip just like this one (with the grip shaped literally for the hand), but I had never seen one and suspected it was a 'put-together". In retrospect, it was probably one of that particular model that had been produced in your country. Very interesting! BTW, judging from your new pics, this probably is the Brit pattern with a shortened blade (you can see where the ridge on the side of the blade originally would have come to the tip. I think it has wonderful character and I'm glad you gave it a good polish. Too bad we may never know for sure how it ended up in your neck of the woods, but the most likely case, I think, is as an import. The wear & tear came in it's long working life serving on a local merchant ship.
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