Heavy French Cavalry Sword for Chile
This heavy cavalry saber was manufactured in France. “Manufacture d’armes de Chatellerault JH” is seen on one side of ricasso. Manufacture d’armes de Chatellerault is the French state-owned weapon manufacturer in the town of Châtellerault. JH stands for Jacob Holtzer, who supplied the steel for the blade. The blade is 33.5 inches long.
On the other side of the ricasso is a small shield divided into two fields, a five-pointed star in the center. This could be the Chilean coat of arms. Most likely, this sword was manufactured in France for export to Chile. Lots of private cutlers used blades from Châtellerault for orders from abroad.
The grip is curved and made of black hard rubber. The grip has a finger groove, cutting technology for its day. The guard seems to be formed with sheet metal. The basket hand guard is stamped with the numbers “3” and “70.”
The original steel scabbard has two stamps “B” and “C”, both in circles. C in a circle = Camps 1891-1896, B in a circle = Brenier 1874-1893. This would date the sword at 1891-1893.
The full sword length is 39.5 inches, 41 inches in scabbard.
Please review pictures for condition. If you would like to see any additional pictures, feel free to email us at info@collect-sell.com.
02-1005
