Model 1860 Cavalry Officers Sword By Tomes
Item #: WR57
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This is a very scarce Cavalry Officer's saber manufactured by Tomes, Son & Melvain of New York City, New York. This company dealt in hardware, military goods and weapons, importing Enfield rifles and officer's cavalry sabers to name a few. It is believed that Francis Tomes was an arms buyer, and traveled abroad purchasing arms for the federal government under the cover of being a legitimate arms buyer for his firm. This rare Cavalry officer's saber with scabbard is attributed to the Tomes firm. John Tillmann's book "Civil War Cavalry & Artillery Sabers" covers these rare swords on pages 450 - 454. A very small number of Model 1860 Cavalry sabers, both officer's and enlisted, have been found stamped with only the letter T on the ricasso. No other identifying marks are found on the swords or scabbards. This particular sword has a blade length of 35", with a width at the hilt of 1 1/16". The spine thickness at the hilt is 5/16". The blade has a wide and narrow fuller. The wide fuller extends 26 3/4" from the ricasso, while the narrow fuller measures 17 1/2". The obverse ricasso is stamped with the letter T with serifs facing the grip. This is the only stamp or mark on the sword. The blade has a very attractive steel gray patina with minimal age freckling on both sides of the blade. The edge is free of nicks. The leather throat washer is missing. The brass hilt has a beautiful golden patina. The two branch guard is hand chased on the inner and outer branches. The guard has a very ornate floral design engraved on the inside. The reverse side of the knucklebow also has a beautiful floral design engraved on it. The pommel cap brim is chased and the pommel cap is engraved with laurel branches. The walnut grip is still retains it's calfskin leather cover, which is in amazing condition considering the age. Unfortunately the brass wire is missing. The original scabbard accompanies this gorgeous sword. The scabbard body has a couple of dents on either side, nothing that detracts from the display power though! The patina is a mix of original finish with some scattered aging. The iron mounts and suspension rings are tight to the scabbard. The mounts are 8 1/4" apart, just as Tillmann's book says they should be. A period sword knot came with the sword and will accompany it on the way to the new owner. if you collect Civil War swords, this is one of the more difficult to obtain, especially in this condition!
Price Was: 1745.00 $1,275.00 USD
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