Thomas Griswold Sword question

[Henryplantagenet]

Folks
I recently acquired a saber at an auction this past week,and I have a couple of questions. : First....the sword is marked at the hil " Thomas Griswold co. New Orleans. On the other side of the blade, also at the hilt, is stamped 1861. Note of interest : the 1861 stamping seems a bit crooked in comparrison to the Company logo stamp on the other side. As for the handle, it is wooden and features the "gold" colored wire hilt wrapped around the handle. The scabbard is solid steel...and has 44 stamped at the bottom. Also barely visible on the blade is a light colored(which appears to have originally been white) stam : CSA. Also on the back of the handle are the Initials in an older style script: Cpt...J.N.L. This saber is not ornately deocrated or facy, but seemsto be moreof the 'plane-jane' style cavalry saber model. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Henry Northump

[Jimmayo]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

Thomas, Griswold & Co. were located on the corner of Canal and Royal Streets in NO. They were in business from Aug 24, 1861 to April 24, 1862. Your stamping should be "THOMAS, GRISWOLD & CO" in an arc over "NEW ORLEANS". Albaugh's "Photographic Supplement of Confederate Swords" does not list any other stamping on the blade.

[3alabama]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

Henry,
from what you describe and what I've seen in original swords this sounds like an old repro. I have never seen an original with a date but all the repro's have them. As Jim mention William Alabaugh's book of confederate swords is one to look at for information and descriptions.Hope this helps

[Henryplantagenet]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

Hi:
I hope not. But, on the bright side, I didnt spend a ton of $ on it. Is there any way to have it verified original...or repo?
Thanks,
henry northump

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

Is there any way to have it verified...?

Not to add to any gastric distress, can you an image of the markings? That is the repro-fingerprint. Let some of the pros here give it a look.

Good luck.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

Several CS swords were reproduced some years back and many were sold as originals. I believe someone in Tenn. was doing this. I have seen a Boyle & Gamble and also a College Hill Arsenal sword repro. To me they looked good but a knowledgable person had no problem spotting them as repros.

The only way to tell if you have a repro is to let someone who has seen the originals and is knowledgable of CS blades, take a look at it. If you can make any of the well known CW shows, this would be a good place to find such a person. You could also do a internet search on CS swords and maybe find a contact you could e-mail. I know there is a web page on swords with lots of identifying information. Find this and it may help. I will agree with Henry on the date. I don't like it but I could be wrong.

[markj]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

eBay is currently offering an alleged "Griswold" sword, which you might compare to your purchase. Here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20272&item=2267154237&rd=1

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Henryplantagenet]

Re: Thomas Griswold Sword question

The sword I have is different. Actually, mine is a saber...and is a lot plainer. The hand-guards looks similar to an 1860 cavalry saber, but the metal is thicker.
Henry Northump