Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful, solid example of an Early American-made Hanger Sword as used by Continental soldiers during the American Revolutionary War and afterwards. The design is very simplistic but very eminent of the period, and is entirely correct for the Revolutionary War. This example has a British-marked blade, so it was likely remounted from a British sword.

A Hanger Sword is a bladed weapon that got its name from the manner in which it was hung on the belt of the person who used it. It could be made in large quantities, is not particularly expensive to do so, and was first used as a hunting weapon before being put to use in combat.

The Hanger sword was a type of saber that was very short and mainly placed on the belts of its owners for convenience and ease of access, hence the name. It was a very simple sword that was practical and had many uses. Its versatility is the reason why there are many different types of it.

The first type of Hanger sword was the Cutting Hanger. This single-edged and slightly curved sword hung from the belts of foot soldiers as a military sidearm, mainly in 16th-century Europe and was still being used centuries later.

They were easy to create and didn’t have any decorations. They were meant to be used with hacking motions and didn’t serve as a status symbol. This example has a 28½” blade and is 33½” overall. The only marking is a faint Crown / 9 marking, which would suggest that this was a British blade that was remounted by an American blacksmith during the period, which is certainly plausible. The blade shows oxidation spotting across, and the tip has become a bit dull. The grip is the correct solid wood, which does have some small cracking, but has retained its finish very well.   

The blade is still tight to the hilt, but the crossguard is a bit loose which is to be expected. This is a lovely example of a scarce Revolutionary War era sword, ready for further research and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 28½” 
Blade Style: Cutting Hanger Saber with fuller & false edge
Overall length: 33½”
Crossguard: 4⅞”