Item Description
Original Item. Only One Available. In August of 1826, US government commissioners for the Navy contracted with the Middletown, Connecticut firm of Nathan Starr to produce 2,000 naval cutlasses for use by Navy seamen aboard ship. Initially, the contract for these cutlasses did not call for scabbards but they were added later at the time of delivery in June 1827. This is one of the scarcest Naval cutlasses we have offered, one of only 2,000 of the original contract.
The curved, single-edged robust blade measures 25½” long and has a pronounced down angle at the blade hilt. The blade has a thick back, and an unstopped, 19¼” long, ¼” wide, narrow fuller that starts at the hilt and extends to within seven inches of the point. The blade no longer bears the marking of Nathan Starr, but looking closer at the cut at the crossguard, it may very well be under the guard, but it could also have worn away over time, as the blade has heavy oxidation and wear. There is also some green paint near the ricasso, easily removed with some work. The crossguard near the curve is stamped 149, certainly a rack number that confirms this cutlass saw service on the open sea. The blade has some nicks, but does have a lovely overall patina.
The grip is a swelled piece of wood painted black, and much of the paint is chipping as shown. The edges of the guard were turned outward to increase their strength, but there is heavy cracking in the edges with a 2” edge missing on one side. This example certainly saw heavy service use. The iron guard has heavy oxidation spotting.
This is a truly stupendous cutlass, the first of its kind we have offered. We don’t expect to see another anytime soon. Comes ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
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