Scottish Victorian 1828 Pattern Infantry Officer's Basket Hilt Broadsword

Straight spear-pointed blade with double central fullers and two short fullers at the ricasso. Steel pierced basket hilt, unusual green leather hilt liner. Spiral grip of wood covered with shagreen bound with wire, steel ferrule and pommel cap. Steel scabbard with two hanging rings, ball finial at the chape. 32½ inch blade, 38½ inches overall.

The blade is etched with foliate motifs incorporating thistles, laurel and palm, the crown and cypher of Queen Victoria, an on one side at the ricasso with the retailer’s mark ‘Furnished by MIDDLEMASS 18 South Bridge EDINBURGH’ beneath the Prince of Wales’s badge of a crown and three feathers and ‘BY APPOINTMENT’. At the ricasso on the other side is a brass proof slug reading ‘PROVED’ set within an etched six-pointed star.

The blade’s finish is excellent with only a handful of tiny spots of patination, some very light scattered scratches towards the tip. The etching is bright and clear, retaining the contrast between the matt acid-etched background and the reflective polished designs within it. The blade’s edge is unsharpened and undamaged. The shagreen of the grip is all intact with very light handling wear, its wire binding is all present with slight movement to the loops nearest the pommel. The, hilt, ferrule and pommel have speckled cleaned pitting.

The leather of the liner is somewhat stiff with only light rubbing and small areas of flaking at its edges. A green liner is an oddity, basket hilt liners are generally red chamois, but there was considerable variation in dress for Scottish units, especially among Volunteer battalions. The scabbard is free of dents and has speckled patination.