Africanised Sabre..any ideas as to the blade ?

[katana]

Originally Posted by Dmitry

I have just acquired it and haven't received it yet.
From the photo alone I would tentatively attribute it as British officer's hanger ca.1800-1820, perhaps naval, but not positively so. The lion mask langets are not a definitive naval characteristic. I'll report back once I have a good look at it.

I've been meaning to ask - your blade is of a very strange color. What happened with it?

Thanks Dmitry,
as to the colour of the blade...I believe it is a photo effect, a combination of an overcast day and the use of photo shop type software ....to show the contours of the blade better.

Perhaps, there is a possibility that my blade was originally Naval ?

Regards David

[Dmitry]

Originally Posted by katana

Perhaps, there is a possibility that my blade was originally Naval ?

Impossible to say with any degree of certainty, imho. In this case it's "the clothes that make the man". Seeing a blade like this decorated with naval symbols, or coupled with a hilt bearing like attributes, or with a two hundred year old documented provenance would certainly be nice. Otherwise things turn conjectural.


The length of your blade, 70.5 cm, is it the straight line from blade tip to the bottom of the hilt?
If that is the case, a blade that would be quite consistent with the shape and length of yours, is often seen on the British 1803 Pattern Infantry Officer's swords, such as this one.