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AMES LIGHT CAVALRY SABRE DATED 1859 – AN EXCELLENT
PRE-CIVIL WAR SPECIMEN: 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 Ames sabres are difficult
to obtain.
This sabre bears a full set of maker and inspector
stamps. The ricasso is stamped with a legible Ames
maker stamp on one side and equally legible “US”, the
inspector’s initials “JH” for Joseph Hannis and the
“1859” date stamp on the other. The brass guard is
stamped “JH”, again, Hannis, and “WAT” for William A.
Thornton on the pommel. Of significant value, the
scabbard drag also retains its inspector stamp, “D.F.M.”
for Dexter F. Mosman, often worn away or obliterated on
sabres of this vintage.
The brass guard has a soft, old patina, 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 on the face of the guard. The grip
leather is original and overall smooth without flaking.
The leather is worn through to the wood grip on the
crests of the ribs, and the exposed wood has an old
patinated shine and blends in well with the black
leather. The original wire wrapping is present, tight,
and complete.
The blade is full form, the metal surface is overall
bright, and the ricasso cross polishing is still
present. There
is no severe pitting on the blade, only the scattered
darkened speckling and light frosting of the metal that
one expects to see on these early, well used blades as
the steel ages. 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.
The scabbard is truly notable as it retains an overall
bright finish to the metal – so many of these early
scabbards have an aged brown finish. The scabbard
retains its full form without any severe dents – one
small dent to the rear edge between the rings and three
small dents lower on scabbard which are typical of any
scabbard that was worn during the conflict. The
scabbard is complete with the throat and carrying rings,
and a full form drag.
The metal is overall smooth
and bright with only scattered darkening and no severe
pitting. As noted above, the scabbard drag retains a
fully legible inspector’s stamp, more often than missing
from these early scabbards.
This is an excellent example of the very scarce pre-war
dated Ames Light Cavalry sabres, far above the norm one
encounters on the market today – if one is able to
locate a pre-1860 dated specimen. The condition of this
sabre coupled with the historical significance of the
date will provide the eventual owner with a great deal
of pride in the ownership of such a piece through the
years.
SOLD
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