British Circa 1820 Bandsman's Sword
Straight, unfullered, spear-pointed blade with diamond cross-section, brass mameluke-style hilt cast with floral motifs, cast brass grip and lion’s head pommel with eyelet and ring. Brown leather scabbard with brass throat piece, middle band and chape, two hanging rings and frog hook.
There was no standard pattern for the ornamental swords carried by military bands in the eighteenth and early 19th centuries. Each regiment was responsible for equipping its band as it saw fit, and took pride in outdoing each other in their parade dress. Nonetheless there was a common style: a short, usually curved, mameluke-style sword with brass fittings and a pommel in the form of an animal head, most often a lion.
The blade has some areas of light pitting. The hilt, grip and pommel are free of dents but have light rubbing wear consistent with handling. The brass fittings of the scabbard have numerous shallow dents, especially the chape piece, as one might expect. The leather of the scabbard is in good condition, flexible with only a few scuffs to the edges and surface-level cracking.
See Robson’s Swords of the British Army, 1st Edition, page 170 for a very similarly hilted example.
