EL7340 - An unusual 1828 pattern Highland officer's broadsword, featuring an earlier blade. This sword is fresh to market, having come from a house where many of the family's ancestors had served in the British Army, mostly in Scottish regiments. Sadly the original owner of this sword is unknown, and I cannot match anyone in the family to this sword, but from the style of the 1828 pattern hilt and grip, coupled with the field service scabbard, I presume this sword was being carried between about 1870 and 1890. The blade is clearly earlier, but how early is difficult to say - it is a type of blade found on various 17th century swords, including mortuary hilts and Walloons, so I would say it is probably c.1640-1720 in date, and probably German made. The blade is plain, of 34.5 inches long, with a shallow central fuller for the first half of the blade, and a tapered and flexible foible. It's a light and nimble blade. Both edges have been repeatedly service sharpened, and there are a few tiny nicks in the edge. I don't want to speculate where this sword might have been carried because I don't know, but the Highland Regiment in Egypt 1882 obviously springs to mind, due to their prominent presence there and the likely dating of this sword. There is a little bit of movement in the hilt assembly, but this can be unscrewed and I suspect that a replacement leather washer between the guard and blade shoulder is the solution. The field service scabbard is in reasonable condition, though I think the wood is probably fractured inside the leather, but it is all stable. The original red silk tassle is still in place and the shagreen and wire of the grip are good.
