Initially please refer to page 321 in the fantastic book "The English Connection" by Pritchard, Huey, Nicholls, Prince and Thomas. Under the page heading "Pattern 1827 Naval Officer's Sword" you can read about the exact sword type we are offering. Our example is brass mounted throughout. All the mounts retain about 90% of the original fire gilt. The sword is lion headed has a solid quarter basket guard with a cast motif of a crown over a fowled anchor. There are perfect fish skin grips and three strands of brass wire and a folding flap internal guard.

The minty highly burnished "pipe-back" blade is etched on one side with the British lion over the royal coat of arms while the other side is etched a crown over a large fowled anchor. Also etched on this side is "DRURY & SON. No 32 Strand, London." The blade has a vicious 11-inch false edge (aka a "yelman") There are some very shallow minor scratches on the blade.  The scabbard is leather and is in excellent solid condition with minor and professionally repaired break 3/4 of the way down. The scabbard has 2 brass gilt mounts as made. The top mount on the obverse is engraved "DRURY & SON" followed by the Strand address. The company of goldsmiths and cutlers began business in the 18th century.  This is a sword, with a "button" was designed to be carried in an over the shoulder harness or baldric typically favored by naval rankings like midshipmen.

This example was once in the collections of Grant Post #4 in Melrose Massachusetts and deaccessioned in the mid-1960s.  It was catalogued as being captured in Charleston Harbor SC in 1865.  Attached to the sword is a circa 1880 linen tag from an auction house reading: "H.A. HARTLEY & CO." over "BOSTON". At least one other identical sword in a private collection is known to have also been captured at wars end at Charleston S.C. An inscription above this is illegible due to aging. It is well documented, and I refer you to "The English Connection", that quantities of these exact swords were imported during the Civil War by the Confederacy. One reads: “Arms speculator William J. Grazebrook consigned one case containing 86 Pattern 1827 British naval officer's swords aboard the steamer Sunbeam that was captured near New Inlet North Carolina 28 September 1862 and eventually sold at auction... These swords were described as " 1 case contg. 86 British Officer's brass handled swords, flap guard, leather scabbard with brass fittings". When this captured lot was sold at auction in New York in 1863 the swords were described as "1 case old Navy swords, total 86 swords slightly damaged." The book continues, "One can only speculate how many additional naval officer's swords Grazebrook sent through the blockade, but his close relationship with well-known edged weapons maker, Horace Chavasse suggests the number may have been substantial."  You can buy a Confederate British imported Dolphin Headed sword in this condition for about $50,000 or our Confederate imported alternative for a fraction of that amount.  [pe][ph:L]

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