Original British Crimean War Era Pattern 1831 Officer’s Mameluke Sword with Scabbard & Etched Queen Victoria Cypher
In stock
-
Original Item. Only One Available. A Mameluke sword is a cross-hilted, curved, scimitar-like sword historically derived from sabres used by Mamluk warriors of Mamluk Egypt after whom the sword is named. Egypt was, at least nominally, part of the Ottoman Empire and the sword most commonly used in Egypt was the same as used elsewhere in the empire, the kilij. The curved sabre was originally of Central Asian Turkic in origin from where the style migrated to the Middle East, Europe, India and North Africa. In Anatolia and the Balkans the sabre developed characteristics that eventually produced the Ottoman kilij. It was adopted in the 19th century by several Western militaries, including the French Army, British Army, Royal Sardinian Army, Royal Italian Army and the United States Marine Corps. Although some genuine Ottoman sabres were used by Westerners, most "mameluke sabres" were manufactured in Europe or America; their hilts were very similar in form to the Ottoman prototype, but their blades tended to be longer, narrower and less curved than those of the true kilij, while being wider and also less curved than the Persian shamshir.
This is an outstanding Mameluke saber which is likely of the Pattern 1831 Officer’s sword. It features a gorgeous dark horn grip, etched blade bearing the cypher of Queen Victoria (reigned 1837-1901) along with other royal arm motifs.
The 26½” blade is in very good condition overall, but does have some heavy edge nicking and has evidence of past oxidation being cleaned away, which has severely faded the blade’s etchings. One side bears crossed cannons and shields with vinery, while the other bears a motif of arms under the royal crown cypher of Queen Victoria. There are two small holes in the sword roughly 7 inches from the tip which appear to have been filled with lead. We are unsure when or why this was done.
The hilt bears a gorgeous dark horn grip which has survived very well over the years. There are small floral discs in the crossguard which have partially broken away. The total length of the sword is 32 ⅛”.
The steel scabbard measures 27½” and has heavy oxidation which we’ve left to preserve the patina. Both suspension rings are intact and also heavily oxidized. The end of the scabbard is flat as is standard for Mameluke swords.
A tremendous Mameluke Officer’s sword from the Crimean War era, ready for further research and display!
Specifications:-
Blade Length: 26 1/2"
Blade Style: Curved Single Edge
Overall length: 32 1/8“
Crossguard: 5 1/2"
Scabbard Length: 27 ½”
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
We Buy Military Antiques
Our team expert buyers travels the world to pay fair prices for entire estate collections to singular items.
START SELLING TODAY
