RARE! EARLY Springfield M-1872 Heavy Variant Indian Wars Cavalry Officer's Saber

Description: *****See my other auctions for more great items!***** THIS EARLY EXPERIMENTAL TRANSITIONAL "HEAVY VARIANT" SABER IS ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN THAT WE COULD FIND!!! VERY RARE Unmarked Springfield Armory U.S. M-1872 early true "Heavy Variant" Indian Wars Cavalry Officer's Saber ~ Double Broad Stopped Fullers ~ 1 1/16 inches wide blade at ricasso & 0.296 inches thick blade at ricasso (exact measurements made with caliper) ~ 34.80" inches long blade ~ Characteristic Springfield Armory crossed cavalry sabers on pommel. Originally produced as an early transitional experimental weapon at Springfield Armory circa 1873-76 using "on hand" Civil War era Ames Light Cavalry Officer's Saber blade & scabbard with newly designed shorter handle & 1/16" shaved off the blade. (only 94 of the Ames cavalry officers sabers were produced for U.S. Gov't during the Civil War) This is possibly one of the first 6 experimental Mapes Blodgett Eagle handles originally ordered by the CO of the Springfield Armory (see research below) THIS IS TECHNICALLY THE HEAVIEST INDIAN WARS CAVALRY SABER EVER PRODUCED - VERY FEW WERE MADE!!! (ONLY 2 KNOWN TO US - ORIGINAL RECORDS OF PRODUCTION LOST) ***This scarce saber & the below research corrects & adds another very crucial puzzle piece to the two most in-depth sources on the M-1872 by Messrs Kellerstedt & Farrrington. Thankfully the missing research pieces were in Farrington's book, but he failed to recognize there actually was a true "Heavy Variant" of the Springfield Model 1872 as coined by Kellerstedt. He correctly differentiates between an M1872 / M1880, but missed the fact that there were heavier versions of the M1872 produced. These heavier versions are the scarcest to find of all. So far the only known heavier versions to surface (as shown here) are unmarked. All Springfield M1872 "Heavy Variant" versions recognized by these 2 authors had stopped double fullers with 7/8" wide blades...whereas Farrington's book showed 1873 correspondence referencing early M1872 experimentation with blades that were 1/16" narrower than the older Civil War models (which were 1 1/8" wide at ricasso)...thus proving the earliest M1872 models had a 1 1/16" wide blade at ricasso. Both authors very clearly admit that very little original historical early Springfield M1872 production documentation exists. It was a transitional & very experimental period, with a number of possible versions produced between 1872 & 1879. Existing (but not complete) records show the most sabers (102) were produced in 1876 (just in time to appear with Custer's command at the Battle of the Little Big Horn)...but there were only about 110 total known Springfield-produced Model 1872 sabers! (known ~ which includes 8 known sample sabers but the exact specifications of all the samples are not known...or whether any more experimental undocumented versions were produced at this time) As Farrington proves - the more common Model 1880 was a different sword & has been confused as an M1872. He correctly shows that very few Springfield M1872's were produced & all known/recognized examples had marked/etched blades. What Farrington didn't recognize is that an M1872 "Heavy Variant" truly does exist & it is even more scarce than the already scarce M1872! Interestingly he also showed (with actual letters) that Mapes Blodgett & Co. Metallic Arts Works of Boston produced the early experimental saber handles & scabbard fittings for the Springfield Armory M1872 Cavalry Saber. Existing correspondence dated Jan. 8th 1873 shows Maj. Benton asking them for 6 cavalry sword handles & fittings so he can further experiment with them before beginning casting. Interestingly, one of the early documented complaints the Ordnance Dept. had with Maj. Bentons' early submitted saber samples was that the Eagle & Stars design on the handle was too high/bold in raised relief.....well, the Eagle & Stars on this saber handle are quite bold & high in raised relief especially when compared to others of later standard production in our research. This would need more research but it looks like a good possibility! Could it be one of the 6 early experimental Mapes Blodgett handles mentioned in Maj. Bentons' letters? The Ordnance Dept. had ordered 500 of these new M1872 sabers from Springfield Armory but for whatever reasons -- only about 110 were known to be produced by 1876 & they were made in batches...not continually produced. Existing documentation shows Officers were lined up to get these new sabers....but they had to wait. The comparison unmarked M1872 (with stopped fullers) example we found that was sold at auction in 2010 was described as having a 34 3/4" long blade (probably an approximation), & the longer blade proves it was a "Heavy Variant" like this one currently offered. Ours measures 34.8" long (same length as the Civil War Ames model). Both Farrington & Kellerstedt state the M1872 had a 34" longblade that was 7/8" wide at the ricasso. This true "Heavy Variant" has the slightly longer blade & is 1 1/16" wide at the ricasso. These little details are VERY important since so few of these larger bladed unmarked M1872's have surfaced. Farrington's book was published in 2015 so the 2010 auction example went to market before they could know what they truly had! Farrington states the crossed swords on the pommel make it a Springfield saber. Keep in mind when researching other crossed saber examples that Springfield & Ames had very close working relationships, & later smaller unstopped fuller M1880 Ames etched blades may have been used with Springfield handles/pommel...Sometimes swords were jobbed out to other sources for etching/engraving. Farrington shows that Ames did not produce any early stopped fuller M1872 Springfield patterns. Farrington also proved (even with documented receipts) that officers commonly changed out factory original scabbard fittings/tips or drags. That & the fact that this sword is a very rare early experimental model would explain why the scabbard fittings on this "Heavy Variant" do not quite match other known later M1872 Springfield examples....but the 2010 Auction comparison saber with black leather grip (Springfield used both black leather & sharkskin grips on M1872's) has identical looking nickel plated scabbard (also with plating mostly worn off) with extremely similar looking scabbard fittings to this one, so that helps. It makes sense since Springfield significantly reduced the saber size of this "Heavy Variant" enough to require a new scabbard for the standard M1872. Farrington even included a research CD in the back of his book with much raw data on the M1872/80! Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 The U.S. Model 1872 Cavalry Officer's Saber by Springfield Armory was closely modeled after the earlier very pretty Civil War version made by Ames. The smaller later 1880 models were primarily used for officer presentation & had subtle differences to the more scarce 1872 version like this one. Most 1872 models have engraved blades & multiple blade/handle markings but this very early experimental "Heavy Variant" is completely unmarked. Very few of them were made as it was a transitional experimental period & somewhere along the line a decision was made to reduce the size of this saber/scabbard. Makes sense since early 1870's correspondence shows that a reduction in size/weight was most desired by the Ordnance Department. Major Benton's surviving correspondence in Farrington's book shows a great reluctance on his part to reduce the existing light cavalry saber's blade size, as he felt it was already light enough...that explains why he only wanted to shave off 1/16" & that was only from the ricasso tapered through half of the blade! Caliper measurements at the middle of this "Heavy Variant" blade show it is still 1" which is the same as its Civil War predecessor - the Ames Light Cavalry Saber.(see above chart) At Ordnance Dept. orders Major Benton would soon be forced to shave off more of the blade to reduce weight. Also significant is to note that Farrington's book includes a few comparison photos of the Civil War Ames next to the M1872. One of those photos shows the earlier Ames blade with a sharpened edge nearly all the way to the ricasso (the same as this sword & the 2010 auction example), whereas the later standard M1872 was unsharpened at about the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the blade to decrease blade edge damage when parrying sword blows in combat. The beautiful grips on this Indian Wars edged weapon exhibit an all original handle that is wrapped tightly in original & nicely well preserved intact/sturdy, sharkskin and wound with a large gauge, twisted brass wire. The strong cast brass gold plated hilt features a fabulous detailed bold War Eagle holding arrows in talon with 13 Stars, two-branch guard with knucklebow mated to a heavy ornate brass pommel cap with pommel bearing a patriotic Shield, crossed cavalry sabers, & leafy scrolling pattern. Still has original leather pad or washer present at bottom of hilt (shows wear but intact). The hilt wiggles a bit (see video) but still overall very solid & sturdy. All brass has acquired a light patina. The brass handle branches protrude slightly forward over the ricasso area which may indicate it was bent by an officer falling off his horse on his sword (old battle damage?) It may be the way it was made as an early experimentation. The area bent is very clean & even almost like it was made that way on purpose. Research yielded other similars (could have been the ordering officer's custom request to the manufacturer) as it makes the 2-branched handle of the sword more streamlined & less protruding to catch on things. Sword fits smoothly & tightly in scabbard. All parts of the sword/scabbard appear to be all-original with no aftermarket tampering or modifications. Blade still wears a somewhat clean & shiny sheen overall with scattered mottling and very light scattered surface pitting. The true edge of the blade has no nicks & still retains a nice sharp edge. The blade was probably cleaned long ago but not scratched badly as sometimes happens. There are some light minor surface scratches to one side of the ricasso from old cleaning but definitely not deep enough to obliterate any original markings. The original curved nickel plated metal scabbard is missing one ring & most of the nickel plating is worn off but still overall in nicely preserved sturdy functioning intact condition. Very nice state of preservation! See scans for exact image conditions & detail. FOR COMBINED SHIPPING ON MULTIPLE PURCHASES - PLEASE ADD TO CART & "REQUEST TOTAL FROM SELLER".Please email any questions/concerns to me prior to close of auction. Thank you. Payment must be made within 3 days of purchase. PAYPAL ACCEPTED.

Price: 3200 USD

Location: Mentor, Ohio

End Time: 2024-11-10T05:20:19.000Z

Shipping Cost: 25 USD