EL6608 - A very unusual fighting sword by Wilkinson, numbered to around the beginning of WW1. The blade is deliberately plain, with no etching, but the Wilkinson hexagonal proof slug is there, as is the Wilkinson serial number dating to about 1914. Unfortunately, the Wilkinson record for this number is blank, so we will never know who ordered it. The basic design is of a post-1895 Victorian light cavalry officer's sword, with 3 bar hilt and checkered pommel, so it is likely not a Royal Artillery or ASC sword. The beautiful blade, with original mirror polish, is broad and thick, 35 inches long, so very likely for a cavalry officer and quite possibly Indian Army. The blade has been seriously service sharpened, and this sharpening remains in good condition. The hilt has patina, but is in good condition and completely firm on the tang. The whole sword is very robust and chunky in the hand. The scabbard is original to the sword and fits like a glove. A really nice sword, of top quality, presumably ordered by an officer or NCO who expected to be used it for real when war was declared in 1914.
