An iconic and much sought-after Napoleonic-era 1796 Pattern Heavy Cavalry sword, as used famously on TV by Richard Sharpe! This example has been spear-tipped, which is something that was done to a lot of them around the time of the Waterloo campaign, to make them better for thrusting French cuirassiers. The blade carries the government inspection stamp, as well as the maker Dawes of Birmingham to the spine. The hilt features the full round disc guard, though one of the langets has either been removed or lost. The leather is almost complete on the grip and the whole hilt is quite firm on the tang. The 88cm (just over 34.5 inches) blade has patina and a little light pitting here and there, as well as a little bit of a bend, which could probably be straightened.
