In good overall condition, a Napoleonic / Waterloo French An XIII Cuirassier Heavy Cavalry Trooper’s Sword
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The sword is 100% authentic, Napoleonic, guaranteed; the scabbard has age but is likely later. The hilt / guard is the oldest part and has seen the most action as the original rack / serial number has been struck out and a new one added. This happened when Napoleon returned from his first exile on the (Island) Elba. The French were short of weapons so they utilized whatever they could; good blades with damaged hilts were given new hilts, good hilts with damaged blades were given new blades. There are three poinçons on the blade as there should be but one is so feint / rubbed, you can only see the star above the now worn out letter. One that is clear is the chained B of Bick, which he used from May 1815. We have seen this several times before on pre-100 Day War (Waterloo) swords. Unfortunately the date inscription the the spine of blade is gone / worn out which would confirm this May 1815 date, but we are 100% sure because there are no post-Waterloo markings and the French would not have reused / rebladed an An XIII hilt / guard after Waterloo, not least as they introduced a new hilt / guard in 1816 (plus, they would have replaced the leather grip and ring bindings, and they used 20+ turns after 1815 – this has the original 11, though one is missing / badly repaired). In addition, the blade has been converted from hatchet / clopped point to spear point, which happened in the field under a general order not long before Waterloo. The blade condition and rust band around the last part of the forte suggests the sword has been in the scabbard for some time; please note, the blade does not fully sheath but some grease and effort may resolve this. With some TLC to the scabbard and grip wire, this sword could be greatly improved.
The sword is a Waterloo battle trophy / battlefield pick up as has lost its original scabbard; many of these swords were dropped in action as many French cuirassiers ended up being slain / pushed over a ravine. So you find many of these in the UK, brought back by long distant / past British army / service personnel.
The 37 3/4 inch blade is in overall good condition and firm in the hilt. The hilt / guard in good condition. The original leather grip is aged and worn. The twisted grip wire bindings are original; they have snapped near the ferrule and been crudely twisted together. The later scabbard has some age but likely not 200 years! The scabbard is in good condition. The sword sheathes and draws well but not full for the last 1/2 inch or so.
Authentic Waterloo An XIII Cuirassier heavy cavalry trooper’s sword, just was £? (too late, now sold)! Please quote item reference Z05. Further / full sized images available upon request. Tube 1528-125×16 (3.947).
