I offer for sale a very unique and rare, Napoleonic, British Grenadier Officer’s Sabre, which from the style of the blade and hilt dates to around c.1796 to 1800.
 
This sabre is a real hybrid and very similar in characteristics to the British Infantry ‘S’ guard half-basket sabre of c.1790 to 1800. Those features being it’s Spadroon style half-basket hilt, coupled to a powerful and deadly Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry sabre blade, making this sabre perfect for hacking and slashing on the flank attacks in battle.
 
The substantial, slightly curving, “J.J. Runkel Solingen” engraved blade measures 32 ½ inches in length and 1 3/8 inches across at the Ricasso, it has a single deep fuller running along the blade for nearly it’s entire length. The blade has been heat blued and gilded at one time, but nearly all of the blue and gilt has been polished away during it’s service life, except for the “entrelac window” at the very beginning of the blade, which retains it’s gilding nicely on both sides. The blade retains an extremely sharp service edge to it and almost no ‘nibbles’ to it’s cutting edge. Almost no black oxidization tarnishing to be found, which is wonderful as damp leather scabbards can bring that about. The blade absolutely firm with the hilt, no movement.
 
The engraved decoration to the blade is nice and clear, almost identical etched decoration on both sides, showing a Stand of Arms; pre 1801 Royal Coat of Arms and floral swags and foliage.
 
The hilt as previously stated is of the “Spadroon type”, with it’s black Ebony, square cross-section, reeded grip, bronze ferrule, cushion pommel, forward facing quillon swirl and prominent tang button. This is complemented by the half-basket bronze guard, decorated on the inter-connecting guard bars midway with two ‘fusing grenades’, strongly suggesting a Grenadier Officer’s sword. There is some gilding left on the hilt components and guard.
 
This sabre comes complete with it’s black, tooled leather scabbard, which is fitted with a bronze throat; mid-suspension mount and chape. The tooling on the leather scabbard includes the Prince of Wales Ostrich feathers motif.
 
Altogether, a good and rare hybrid, Grenadier infantry officer’s sabre.