Gymnasia sabre, 1864 pattern, British (1867)

Title	Gymnasia sabre, 1864 pattern
Nationality	British
Period	1867

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This is the first model gymnasia sabre of the Victorian army. It was declared obsolete in 1892 and replaced in 1895 by a much lighter model, closer in design to a modern fencing sabre. This is the design origin for the 1896 infantry officer's sword with the dumbbell blade.

The blade measures 32" (but may have been slightly shortened, as Brian Robson gives a length of 34.75" in his Swords of the British Army) and is almost certainly of Wilkinson manufacture, there being the number '14932' stamped on the spine at the forte, corresponding to 1867 in the Wilkinson records, with the faint remains of a Wilkinson logo on the obverse side of the forte. As far as I know, only Wilkinson had the contract for these sabres.

The guard, if not actually made from the obsolete 1821 heavy cavalry sword hilt, was certainly modelled on it. When issued, the hilt had a black shellac finish, all trace of which has now vanished, except for substantial traces on the inside of the guard. The grip is original (black calf leather on beechwood), but there is a small split approximately 1.5" long on the obverse side. The wire grip binding is complete.

This is a rare beast - I have only had three through my hands in the last 40 years!

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.

[Edged Weapons : Swords : British : 19th Century]

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