Original U.S. War of 1812 Era Ames Artillery 1800 Pattern Officer’s Sword with Weeping Eagle Pommel & Scabbard by N.P. Ames - Tremendous Eagle Motif Etching - Circa 1829
In stock
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Original Item. Only One Available. This is a gorgeous War of 1812 era Artillery Officer’s sword with a lovely 5-ball hilt & “Weeping Eagle” pommel, a feature frequently found on both Naval & Artillery officer’s swords of this period. The blade has faint remnants of the early floral etchings for 2/3rds of its length, with a great early Eagle “E Pluribus Unum” motif on one side, and a shield crossing a cannon on the other. The ricasso bears an extremely faint remnant of the maker’s marking, which we were able to figure out:
N.P. A[mes]
Cutl[er]
[Springfield]
This makes this example one of the earliest Nathan P. Ames swords we have ever offered, and likely dates to the early 1820s. A model with a hilt nearly identical to this example appears on Page 117 of The American Eagle-Pommel Sword: The Early Years - 1794-1830 by E. Andrew Mowbray, where it is referred to as an Artillery or Naval Officers’ Sword, Ca. 1800. Despite the model being 1800, due to Ames being the manufacturer, this example was likely made during the 1820s. We have seen reference to similar swords in the November / Decemver 1980 issue of Man at Arms.
The 28½” blade is in great condition for its age, with oxidation spotting having been cleaned away over the years, resulting in a lovely overall patina with a somewhat faint etching. The sword is 33¾” overall.
The brass hilt is in great condition, and the fluted bone grip is well-retained, although there is some heavy cracking to one side, but this is a very old crack. The crossguard is a bit loose to the hilt, but it’s all still very solid.
The original brass-mounted leather scabbard is in fantastic condition, and from the looks of it, we don’t believe this one ever had a drag at the end, which was common for swords of this period. There is no “shadowing” at the end, and it is only broken open from the tip of the blade poking through, which we often see with swords of this period without a drag. Both the throat and 2nd suspension ring mount are intact, although they are a bit loose to the scabbard. The leather is in tremendous condition for being 125 years old, and the stitching has held up well-enough as well. The sword fits it well, and it actually still sheathes the entire blade, without any heavy shrinkage. The scabbard is 28¼” long.
A phenomenal officer’s sword by one of the most prolific sword makers in American history. Comes ready to display!
Approximate Dimensions:
Blade Length: 28½"
Overall length: 33¾”
Scabbard length: 28¼”
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