Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very good original Civil War era U.S. officer’s sword of the non-regulation German-import type, closely patterned after the U.S. Model 1850 Staff and Field Officer’s and Foot Officer’s swords. It features a steel four-branch guard with an unusual Federal eagle motif, a ribbed wooden grip with traces of its original dark finish, a heavily polished blade with remnants of period etching, and a steel scabbard with worn finish.

During the decades before the Civil War, American military swords were heavily influenced by European patterns, particularly French and German designs. Solingen remained one of the principal European centers for edged-weapon production, and substantial numbers of German-made swords were imported into the United States for private purchase by officers.

This example is a very high quality “M-1850” Staff Officer’s sword and was imported from a German swordmaker, likely based in Solingen. The 32 ¼” blade was originally triple-etched, but the etching is now almost entirely gone, and there are no markings remaining that would identify a maker, though it is possible it was left unmarked on purpose to conceal the country of origin.

The basket is the standard “four finger” guard constructed out of steel. The most beautiful feature is the extremely rare variant of the Federal Eagle. The eagle is very “european” in design with pointed wings turned up and intricate details for the feathers. The grip was originally wire-wrapped, but looks to be ribbed wood with a tarred finish. There is no trace of the wire left. The handle and pommel style of this example more closely resembles that of the U.S. M1850 Foot & Staff officer swords than previous examples we have had. This is likely a maker variation, and the seam line on the pommel is very prominent, an interesting detail. The overall length is 37 ⅝”.

The blade is in good condition considering the age, but has been heavily polished over the years, wearing away the majority of the etching. There are only very small remnants of the original etching now, with nothing particularly identifiable. The original leather blade buffer is gone.

The scabbard is steel with a now-worn nickel finish, suspension rings and drag. Some of the plating is retained, but there is surface rust present where it has worn away. The scabbard has scattered denting but is still overall solid.

German and other European sword makers supplied large numbers of privately purchased officer’s swords to the American market before and during the Civil War. These imported examples frequently combined recognizable U.S. military motifs with European hilt construction and maker-specific variations, resulting in a broad category now generally described by collectors as non-regulation officer’s swords.

This example is especially interesting for its unusual steel eagle guard, which departs from the more familiar brass guards of standard Model 1850 officer patterns. Its heavily polished blade, lost wire grip, worn nickel scabbard, and surviving traces of etching all reflect substantial age and handling, while the distinctive hilt preserves the strongest identifying characteristics of this German-import Civil War era officer’s sword.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 32 1/4”
Overall Length: 37 5/8”
Scabbard Length: 33 5/8”