old sword value

[JimKindred]

Re: old sword value

I too have a old sword that I wanted to find the value of.It also doesn't have a scabbard.So I looked it up at the Civil war preservation's web site,and also looked it up at the horse soldier web site,they were very helpful.One thing I did learn is , Confederate swords are the ones that are really worth a lot.

Start your own thread, do not high jack this one.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: old sword value

Hallo!

This thread is sprialing downhill.

To be able to answer the question, we would need dimensions, measurements, and better yet pictures. What the "old sword" actually is, and its condition are key factors involved with "price" or "worth" as well as the geographic location where it is being sold.

We also have no indication of what is, it could be a ACW era "original" U.S. military item, one from a different era, a Knights of Columbus fraternal sword, a sword from a host of other countries, a beat reproduction, or even a fraud/counterfeit.

Otherwise we have a "I have a widget. What is it worth?" going on.

Curt

[Drygoods]

Re: old sword value

Well, the guy will not send pictures, he's nearby visiting. My husband says that it looked original, and since it had a museum number on the blade written with a sharpey pen, he considered it likely original. It also had a G stamp on the guard, 1 large nick on the dull blade (maybe never sharpened), honest wear on the grip, and an inspectors mark of TGW on the blade hilt.

I really want to buy it if it's original, but am so afraid of repros and not recognizing them, I'm nervous. Thank you all for your help. I'll ask again about pictures.

[BobbyHughes]

Re: old sword value

Mrs Peebles

I inquired about the sharpie marking with a friend who works at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History.. that seems odd to me.

[BobbyHughes]

Re: old sword value

Mrs Peebles,

Sent ya a PM

[Drygoods]

Re: old sword value

Mr. Hughes, many kind thanks for the advice in the PM. I haven't enough time to write now, so will merely post a bit here.

Yes, I agree that to have ink on the blade is peculiar, but not necessarily so from this museum. I've bought books that were previously owned by them, and they had ink numbers and id inside the front cover. The numbers are near the hilt, and rather small brown ink. I guess that my husband's description of "sharpie ink" was a bad one. As for the picture, it's not that I cannot get a picture, it's just that the gentleman is near and doesn't have a camera, and I'm not photo-computer genius myself.

If I could get to my copies of the TL Echoes of Glory series, I'd be happier knowing what swords should look like. And I freely admit, I don't even know if repro swords have any identification saying they are reproductions? I have two of those repros, but those were specifically for living history, not a keepsake item. No doubt there must be some history that comes with the sword anyway., and will come with a letter of documentation. The man selling it is very trustworthy, and known to us for 25 years.

Having dealt with museums for the past twenty years, I've seen many things sold off in order to purchase other collections. It's the sad thing about donating an item to a museum, they are then the owner, and have the right to keep or sell their own property. On the other hand, if you merely donate and keep ownership yourself, the museum may maintain or show your item, but cannot sell it away, you'd eventually have it returned to you.

From what I can tell from what you fellows have said to me, it sounds like a real bargain, something I should seriously consider buying. I just don't know who to take it to afterward to find out more of it's history or manufacture. Relic digging is one thing, but finding items this far from the war is unusual, unless it had military use here at a West Coast fort. I guess it's not like swords have registration numbers/names like guns today eh? And at $125, isn't that a fair price for a reproduction sword? As far as I can see, I've not seen prices of reproduction swords discussed on this forum. (I recently looked, but saw no comparisons of various makers and pricing)

And last, some museums are just cooky, one I photographed had a pair of Mexican War era sailors trousers kept in a Chicita Banana box with a bunch of other odds and ends.

[Tom Craig]

Re: old sword value

Hi,

I do have to agree that unless you can get either a detailed description or photos posted on here that this forum can't be of much concrete use. You stated earlier in the thread that you thought you had a cavalry sabre. How did you come to that conclusion? Not trying to be critical, but as Curt said, with the limited details provided thus far it is nearly impossible to determine relative value etc.

A quick search on eBay will give you an idea of the general look of the things to compare with. The markings described sound likely to make it original because I have seen very few cavalry sabres reproduced with any markings beyond the stamp on the blade. That said, the only marking on repros that I have ever seen indicating that they are repros is the "India" stamp the is placed at a right angle to the blade. Folks who have handled a couple of original sabres can spot a repro in a second just from the weight and balance of the piece.

As to price, repro cavalry sabres with their scabbards are trending between $70-$150 right now on a very general range. There are a few out there, like the "Ames" repro made by a descendant of the Ames company that may fetch more etc. The price of original Federal sabres (on the east coast at least) is ranging from $400 (for "parts" sabres made up of pieces of other sabres, or rehabed originals) to $2000. I know of several people who have been able to find scabbards without sabres, or have been able to buy repro sabres for the scabbard, but that does often require some "trying on" as not all sabres and scabbards are uniform in size and fit.

After the war, up until at least the 1960's sabres were as common as mosquitos in a swamp. Army surplus outfits like Bannerman's had them by the barrel full and their price was dirt cheap so they spread far and wide among folks who wanted a collectable. Unless you could produce some verifiable lineage it would be very hard to say the sabre had any real history beyond being old.

Long story short though, without details or pictures I think you've gotten about as much as you can from this forum.

Take care,
Tom Craig
1st Maine Cavalry