Revolutionary War boarding cutlass

[M ELEY]

I agree, Neil, which is why when Dmitry brought up this important point, I got a little worried. It doesn't look like typical deer, but I've seen stag antlers weathered outside that looks like this. I read an article on moose anters that specifically says that the horn can take on an orange color. One site had caribou antler that had been stained (a popular process even back in colonial times with green-stained ivory hilts, stained shagreen wrap, etc.). This really leads me back to the beginning, as all the different types of antler listed above kinda looks the same after you've been looking at examples for awhile (and moose, caribou, deer, etc, are also found throughout Europe and below the Artic Circle.). I'll possibly take it to the local university and see if one of the biology profs might be able to identify it based on texture, mass, etc. In any case, even if it proves to be European, it's of the period, naval, and STILL could have been a captured piece, import, or family heirloom used by colonists (half of Neumann's book supports this fact). I guess we'll see...