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PROFOUNDLY RARE CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE OFFICER’S

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:37,500.00 USD Estimated At:75,000.00 - 125,000.00 USD
PROFOUNDLY RARE CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE OFFICER’S
SWORD FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA. Overall length: 36 1/2". Blade length: 30 1/2". This Civil War State of Louisiana officer’s sword is one of two known examples of this exceptionally rare pattern. The maker of this sword remains unknown despite extensive research, but is undoubtedly of early war manufacture. On January 26, 1861, Louisiana adopted an Ordinance of Secession in Baton Rouge. This sword, & the other known example, were likely some of the first weapons produced in the South for the fledgling Confederate Army. The blade has a single, shallow, unstopped fuller & is hand engraved over 2/3 of its length w/ various scroll & foliate motifs. The gilded brass hilt features an enormous 6 branch guard containing a trilobed adornment displaying a central medallion of a pelican feeding its young, flanked by 2 other lobes containing a “C” and an “S” respectively. The pelican feeding its young motif has been on the state seal of Louisiana since admission to the Union, a scant 49 days prior to the start of the War of 1812. Opposite the pelican and “C S” is another medallion featuring a sprig of laurel. The inside of the guard is undecorated. The 6 branches join into 3 which subsequently join into a single branch prior to attachment to the pommel. The pommel features a graduated lobed top w/ a base containing 11 stars around the edge. The pommel stars likely allude to the 11 Confederate states in existence as of June 8, 1861 w/ the secession vote of Tennessee. The leather grip is wound w/ twisted brass wire. The accompanying scabbard is of gilded brass mounted leather. All mounts are unadorned except for lineal decoration at the edges. The 2 carrying rings are also of gilded brass. The leather body has a top sewn seam. CONDITION: blade has a light gray finish and the engraving remains quite crisp. Gilded finish on the hilt is approximately 80%. Grip & wire are complete. The leather shows only surface wear. Scabbard mounts retain approximately 60% of their original gilded finish. The leather body remains strong, but shows scattered scuffs & scrapes attesting to its use in the field. A rare opportunity to acquire one of the scarcest & most desirable of all Confederate officer’s swords. (02-14715/BF). $75,000-125,000.