Jbrockkylekyle
Cadet
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2021
Just trying to find a little history of this old sword I have? Thanks!
You are going to post a photo I hope!Just trying to find a little history of this old sword I have? The bade is 17 1/2” and overall about 24” . Someone told me it was confederate cannoneer’s bayonet? Thanks!
I was running out of time yesterday when I posted, so will elaborate:It's a French-style infantry short sword with spurious Confederate markings.
I also find a lot of walking bear stamps on import swords from around the turn of the century, esp on M. C. Lilley swords; these all appear to be WKC products. I understand, however, earlier swords with this mark were produced by Kuller. Apparently WKC purchased Kuller's works at some point including the rights to the mark. (I'm basing this all on hear-say however and have no firm evidence of any of it.)The walking bear is not Kuller and has been determined to be a Weyersburg brother/family mark during the WKC amalgamations. You will find the walking bear on a number short swords, often theatrical and even a musician sword I own stamped Germany.
Found on leather grip 1860sf and fraternal short swords as well.
Cheers
GC
The Napoleonic-era eagle-headed sword was probably abandoned during the Restoration (of the Monarchy) period because the eagle emblem was so closely identified by then with Napoleon even though the design of the sword itself pre-dated the French Revolution.I hate to say it, but the bear looks like a Polar Bear. The same look as the North Russia WWI patch/insignia. If nothing else you could at least beat someone to death with the blade. The French soldiers didn't like the blade either. The early version of the short sword much better looking than the later version, which we adopted in 1832. I would not be surprised if the French didn't like the blade much either. The French used the short sword from the 1770's to around 1867.
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