Here is a very nice original example of a naval boarding cutlass that would have been carried by U.S. Navy seamen. Blade measures 25 ½” long, 1 1/8” wide at the ricasso and has a flat back with a single, wide, unstopped fuller. Blade is perfectly clean and shiny overall with no nicks on the blade edge. Centrally located on the right side of the blade is “Niagara”. The reverse ricasso is unmarked and undated while the obverse ricasso bears an etched maker’s mark that reads “HARTLEY, & GRAHAM / NEW YORK” which would date this sword to 1878-1899.

Brass hilt, often referred to as a ‘soup ladle’ guard, is a rounded cup of heavy sheet brass riveted to the knucklebow and provides hand protection to the user. Guard shows no evidence of cleaning and wears a pleasing bronze patina. 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. Cutlass retains its leather washer. The carved wooden handle is wrapped with original black bridle leather that has lost much of its surface finish leaving it a dark brown color. The grips have all of its original double-twisted brass wire wrap.

Original leather scabbard body, which measures 26 ½” long, is in strong condition with no breaks, cracks or separations. The very strong scabbard retains its brass stud or finial strongly secured at top edge of the scabbard. Forty-three copper rivets are tight along the seam.

The U.S.S. Niagara of this time period was a steamer built by John Roach & Sons, Chester, Pennsylvania in 1877. The U.S. Navy acquired her in April 1898 for service in the Spanish–American War.  Niagara departed New York in April 1898 for the Caribbean Sea. During the Spanish–American War she served the fleet off Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti.  Niagara was decommissioned on 14 October 1898 in New York. She was sold on 19 July 1899.

A very fine Span-Am War naval cutlass with its accompanying leather scabbard. [jet]

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