EUROPEAN SMALLSWORD C.1720-50

Probably French with brass hilt, originally silvered. Asymmetrical shell guards and large loop guards indicative of the period. Each element including the brass grip decorated in flutes flanked by reeded bands. The knuckle bow at the pommel, struck with a maker’s mark. This hilt would have originally been silvered and the mark applied to spuriously represent it as a silver hilt. (N.B.: Hallmarking rules required that every element in the hilt be marked. Most smiths applied marks to surfaces which were hidden upon assembly, often leaving a single set of marks on the knuckle bow. ) 29 ¾” concave face triangular section blade decorated with foliage and flower buds at the forte. Gray patina with some light oxidation texture throughout. The decoration and edges well preserved.  Type which served in Colonial America and the Revolution.  See Swords and Blades of the American Revolution, Neumann, #200.S for a related French example.