Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fair example of the rarely seen U.S. Naval Cutlass, as used from 1860-1865. The boarding cutlass was derived from the French pattern of 1833, often referred to as a “cullere a pot,” or more commonly called the “soup ladle” weapon. It features all brass mounts and a leather-wrapped wooden sword grip. These were never bound in brass wire even though there are grooves. The grip is in fantastic shape without any cracks, which we almost never see on these.

The curved 26 inch blade's ricasso is marked on one side with the banner style address, which is extremely faded, but we could make out the CHICO of Chicopee, so we are certain of the maker -

MADE BY
AMES MFG
CHICOPEE
MASS

One the other side it is well marked with-

186[2]

The blade of this example appears to have been heavily sharpened & cleaned over the years, so the USN & Inspector’s markings are gone, and the last digit of the year is all but gone, but with a magnifying glass we were able to see the corners of the 2, so we are confident it is 1862.

The blade has been heavily sharpened and cleaned giving it a bright finish. The brass basket also appears to have been cleaned & polished which gives it a brighter look as well. The leather blade washer is still intact, which is almost never the case on these. The underside of the guard is marked with rack number 7M / 800. There also appears to be a museum catalog number hand inscribed on the top of the guardnext to the blade. The handle isn’t quite as tight to the blade as it used to be, just a bit loose. The handle is in great shape without any cracks and much of the paint is still retained.

Offered in fair but gorgeous condition, original Civil War Naval Cutlasses are getting harder and harder to find every year! Ready for further research and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 24"
Blade Style: Curved Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 29 7/8“
Basket dimensions: 4 1/2" width x 5” length