What is it?????????

Jim McDougall · 9th May 2007, 08:50 PM

This 'mystery' sword is as noted, completely composite, and the blade is of course the standard Spanish colonial dragoon blade, as Lee has pointed out.
During the later years of the 19th century, especially after the Civil War, many of these Spanish blades turned up throughout the U.S, whether in fully mounted swords, or the blades alone. It was not at all uncommon to have these blades turn up in Masonic or varied fraternal regalia, and it is well known that Oriental mystery (including Egypt, Japan, China, Arabia etc,.as part of the scope included in the parlance of the times) was often the them for mountings on these swords.
This seems a regalia type sword most likely for either a Masonic tyler or perhaps one of the other fraternal orders, likely early 20th c.
In that sense it is indeed genuine, and mysteriously intriguing!

All the best,
Jim

9th May 2007, 08:50 PM	#9
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,194	This 'mystery' sword is as noted, completely composite, and the blade is of course the standard Spanish colonial dragoon blade, as Lee has pointed out. During the later years of the 19th century, especially after the Civil War, many of these Spanish blades turned up throughout the U.S, whether in fully mounted swords, or the blades alone. It was not at all uncommon to have these blades turn up in Masonic or varied fraternal regalia, and it is well known that Oriental mystery (including Egypt, Japan, China, Arabia etc,.as part of the scope included in the parlance of the times) was often the them for mountings on these swords. This seems a regalia type sword most likely for either a Masonic tyler or perhaps one of the other fraternal orders, likely early 20th c. In that sense it is indeed genuine, and mysteriously intriguing! All the best, Jim