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AMES LIGHT CAVALRY SABRE DATED 1859: A
much sought after combination of date and maker, this
1859 dated Ames Light Cavalry Sabre, holds an important
place in the lineage of US Cavalry Sabres, establishing
the manufacture of these sabres prior to the onset of
the Civil War. Seldom offered due to the relatively few
surviving specimens being carefully retained in private
collections, these early dated examples are difficult to
obtain. In addition to the legible Ames maker, “US”,
inspector and date stamps on both sides of the sabre
riccasso, the brass guard is stamped “JH” and “WAT” on
the pommel. The brass guard has a wonderful, soft, old
patina beginning to turn to the very desirable reddish
tones, showing no signs of polishing or heavy cleaning.
The guard is full form and is not misshapen due to wear
or use, and the leather washer is present. The front or
outer surface of the hand guard is stamped with the
numeral “1”, likely a unit identification or inventory
stamp. The grip leather is original and overall smooth
without flaking, and showing some wear through to the
wood grip on the crests of the ribs along the top of the
grip. The exposed wood has an old patinated shine
and blends in well with the black leather. The
original wire wrapping is present and complete.
The blade is full form, the metal surface is overall
bright, with some scattered darkened spots.
The edge is clean with a few very minor nicks, as
opposed to the heavier nicks and chips in the edges
that are commonly seen on these early sabres that were
exposed to the full duration of the War.
There is no severe pitting on the blade, only the
scattered darkened speckling of the metal that one
expects on these early, well used blades. The scabbard
is full form without any severe dents, and is complete
with the throat and carrying rings, and a full form
drag. The scabbard has a wonderful naturally aged
brown patina, with some light pitting, and the drag
bears the impression of the inspector stamp where it
should be, although the inspector’s initials “JH” are
not legible due to wear and aging. On the opposite
side of the drag is a series of punch marks in a pattern
of two lines that was intentionally applied – perhaps
another form of unit identification or a soldier’s mark
to help him identify his particular sabre. This is
a very respectable example of these scarce early dated
Ames sabres and the condition coupled with the
historical significance of the date will impart a great
deal of pride in the ownership of such a piece through
the years. $1650
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