EL6890 - A rare WW1 French sword, featuring a hilt approximately conforming to the M1882 infantry officer's sword, perhaps with Army of North Africa colonial influences, and a non-regulation blade of T-section, made very unusually with English steel. The blade is engraved clearly as having been made at the arms factory in Chatellerault in August 1914 of imported English steel. This sword was only made in the month following the start of the Great War. The guard has some movement, despite the leather washer being present, but the hilt is otherwise secure on the tang. The wooden grip has lost a chip from the pommel end, but the grip wire is intact. The fit of the hilt to the blade seems a little crude to me, so I wonder if this is not the first hilt that was fitted to this blade. The whole sword would benefit from a clean up and it has what looks like old grease or varnish on the hilt, but the blade is in generally good bright condition, with a bit of light surface rust which should clean off easily.
