EXCEPTIONALLY RARE M1840 AMES ARTILLERY OFFICER'S SABER, ONE OF ONLY 20 PRODUCED BY U.S. FEDERAL CONTRACT IN 1865

ONE OF THE SCARCEST SWORD PATTERNS OF THE ERA 

M1840 artillery officer's saber. Chicopee, Massachusetts: Ames Mfg. Co., ca. 1865. Ricasso etched with maker's mark. Slightly curved acid-etched blade. Approx. 38 in., blade approx. 32 in. Complete with metal scabbard. 

Among the most scarce survivals of American military sword production, this Ames Model 1840 Artillery Officer’s Saber belongs to a pattern long esteemed by advanced collectors for its association with the great age of mid-19th-century U.S. arms manufacture. Ames, the pre-eminent supplier of regulation U.S. Army swords in the antebellum and Civil War periods, produced artillery officers’ sabers in markedly smaller numbers than standard enlisted patterns, and surviving examples are rare by any maker. Public auction and dealer references likewise treat the model as one of the scarcest and most desirable of American officer’s swords.

According to the traditional attribution, the saber offered is one of a government contract of only twenty Model 1840 Artillery Officers’ Sabers ordered in 1865, and among the very last of the pattern produced. That figure places it among the rarest standard U.S. military edged weapons of the period.

This example is especially attractive for its condition. The blade remains notably fine, retaining crisp etched decoration with a frosted ground, including the Ames Mfg. Co., Chicopee, Mass. address incorporated within the etching. The black leather grip is complete and sound, showing only minor flaking consistent with age, while the twisted double-strand wire wrap remains intact and tight. The brass D-guard is firm and retains a substantial portion of its original gilding. The pommel is secure, with the peen tight and undisturbed. The steel scabbard preserves most of its original finish, interrupted only by minor age spotting. The absence of inspector’s initials and date stamps accords with the expected appearance of officer-grade etched examples of this type, which differ in finish and presentation from the more common government-marked enlisted artillery sabers. Officer examples also characteristically appear with decorated etched blades and more refined mounted presentation than standard issue enlisted forms.

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

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