ELF113 - An interesting and probably early example of a British or Indian cavalry officer's sabre. Due to certain details of the hilt shaping, I suspect that this is Indian made, but it could possibly have been British made for export - there are no maker's marks. These Indian cavalry sabres are difficult to date and we know that they were in use before the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58, and then increasingly common in the 1860s, becoming more standardised in the 1870s. I suspect that this dates to the 1850s or 1860s. The grip is leather with quality wire, which to be strongly suggests an officer rather than a trooper/sowar - it could have been a British or Indian officer, and we have surviving swords from Hodson and Roberts, used during the Mutiny, which are of a generally similar form. The blade is a little more slender than most, a little longer at nearly 33 inches, well service sharpened repeatedly, and it is a light sword. The hilt is firm on the hilt with only the smallest movement apparent. No scabbard. The whole sword would benefit from careful cleaning. A scarce sword which very well could have seen use in the Mutiny or other Indian campaigns of the era.
