Purchase ⚔️ as a gift? Naval Officer’s Sabre Model 1827 from Great Britain in Kyiv, Ukraine

Manufacturer: Unknown.

Country: Great Britain

Dating: 1830-1890

Condition: 6/10

Completeness: Sabre in scabbard with a strap and cover.

Dear collectors and guests of the Antique Gallery website seeking gifts, particularly antique weapons, we present to you: Naval Officer’s Sabre Model 1827 from Great Britain.

The blade is steel, straight, single-edged, with one broad flat on both sides, and in the last third, it is double-edged. The blade is adorned with etched ornaments featuring plant and marine themes (an anchor wrapped in rope under a crown, an image of the English coat of arms). The tang bears a stamp in the form of a brass circle inscribed with the word “PROVED,” stamped into the tang hole and framed by an etched Star of David.

The hilt consists of a grip and a brass guard. The grip is wooden, straight, widening towards the top, covered with white stingray skin, and wrapped with twisted wire in the grooves. The head of the grip is brass and shaped like a lion’s head, with the mane smoothly transitioning into the back of the grip. From the head extends a brass protective knuckle guard with an opening, gradually widening into an asymmetrical cup with a hinged part on the inside with an opening for securing the sabre in the scabbard. The cup has a downward-curved rounded end. On the front side, in an oval cartouche, there is a relief image of a rope-wrapped anchor under a crown. The cup is decorated with geometric ornamentation on a dotted background.

The scabbard is made of black leather with brass fittings. The fittings have serrated edges and are adorned with simple geometric ornamentation. It consists of a throat, middle section, and tip with a symmetrical shoe. There are movable rings on the throat and middle section.

Historical Note:

In 1827, the design of the naval officer’s sabre underwent a radical change. The hilt from the Napoleonic Wars was replaced by a half-basket hilt made of solid gilded brass. The weapon’s design is derived from the model of the infantry officer’s sabre of 1822, where instead of the royal monogram and crown, an anchor with a crown is depicted. The characteristic lion’s head hilt remained unchanged.

Captains, first lieutenants, second lieutenants, and midshipmen were required to carry the described model of the sabre, while volunteers of both classes were permitted to carry only dirks.

Early examples featured a broad pointed blade with a tubular spine. Engravings were typically simple, as bluing and gilding had been abolished shortly before. In 1846, the single-edged “Wilkinson” blade replaced the more ornate tubular blade.

Interestingly, Wilkinson considered the tubular blade poorly suited for combat. The head of the firm, Mr. John Lezem, stated that it was “the worst combination of hilt, blade, and form imaginable.” Although the discrediting of the tubular blade was commercially advantageous for Wilkinson, there was much truth in his words. Due to the reinforced spine, such a blade was more powerful when thrusting but ineffective in cutting. If a warrior failed to strike the opponent with the first lethal thrust, he found himself at a disadvantage.