EL6906 - A scarce Naval-themed 1796 pattern officer's spadroon. At first sight I had assumed this was a 1796 pattern infantry officer's spadroon, and in general it is in design, however I found that on both sides of the blade are decorative engravings featuring anchors, and so I can only presume this must have been for a Royal Navy officer. Royal Navy officers at the time do seem to have been quite liberal in their sword choices, though the fact that an official pattern was introduced in 1805 might indicate that his sword dates to between 1796 and 1805. One one side of the blade, with the GR cypher and crown, we have a large anchor, and on the other side we have the Royal coat of arms and a mythical woman (Britannia?) holding an anchor. There are various other emblems engraved into the steel, including the Solingen maker's mark on the spine, and remains of the blue and gilt that would have originally adorned the surface - now sadly mostly rubbed away. It would be possible to restore this to full blue and gilt in theory, though most collectors would probably keep it as is, and it is quite presentable like this, perhaps with some light cleaning. There are a few little nicks to the cutting edge, and some pitting towards the tip. The hilt is quite firm on the tang, with just a tiny bit of movement in the guard. The guard is a little bit bent. The folding drop section works fine. The grip is unusually black, and apparently of some sort of hardwood. There are absolutely no indications that his grip was ever covered with wire or anything else - no imprint of wire or holes. So I can only assume this attractive black grip was another modification for the naval officer to make it look a little different to the infantry officer's version. A highly interesting sword and definitely a great addition for a Royal Navy collector.
