Hard to find, except in a few history museums, is the British Officer Sword circa 1750. This was the sword carried by general officers into the French Indian Wars of 1754-1763 and our Revolutionary War of 1776. It was not until the 1786 pattern that the British standardized Army Officer swords. Thus, in this era Officers purchased their own swords to their specific requirements albeit they tended to have consistently rapier-like thin blades and a double shell pattern guard component to the hilt. The scabbard would be leather with brass trim and would be a rarity to have survived 275+ years. This particular sword has been in my private collection since 2003, and the prior owner had preserved it for over 40 years. The verification for identification is based on (included with pictures) the book "British Military Swords" by John Wilkinson Latham 1970 edition. The unique aspect of this sword, and the hallmark of the era, is the grip. Likely an initial wood handle overlaid with a very tight wrap of very small-diameter wire, then topped with a more conventional wrap. The handle is completely intact with this unique wrapping. The leather piece between the blade and hilt is still in place in good condition. The blade has faint edging and, not unexpectedly, some areas of blackening consistent with the age, but has no chips. The lower bracket, as noted in the last photo, is intact but is not connected to the handguard, as is the opposite side. Assume some careful heat application would line it up with the handguard. Overall, this is a rare, delicate sword with a rapier-like blade and an excellent, gentlemanly hilt.
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