Trying to Identify Three Swords

[Championhilz]

I just got a call from my daughter who is helping her cousins clean out a family members house who had to go into assisted living. While going through a closet, they found three swords that no one knew she had. Could anyone help identify these swords? In the pictures my daughter sent I could only see a marking on the smallest sword - a knight's helmet on the ricasso. Any help will be most appreciated!

 

[R. Porter]

I'm away from my references at the moment so I can't be very detailed. The U. S. model 1860 officer's sword with the eagle in front of flags on a shell guard on one side and vestigial guard on the other probably dates after 1890 due to the presence of the vestigial guard. The knight's head was the logo of the Solingen sword making family of Kirschbaum. In 1883 this family company merged with the company of the Weyersberg family whose logo was a king's head. This formed the company WK&C which had a logo that included a king's head and a knight's head until 1918. Supposedly after 1918 the company switched back to the single knight's head logo. However, as you can see from this post on another forum, War Relics Forum, there is reason to believe that the knight's head logo was being used again as early as the 1890's.

https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/daggers-swords-third-reich/wkc-trademark-evolution-719841/

The cavalry saber with the metal basket guard appears to be a private purchase version of a Prussian model 1852 cavalry saber. Private purchase means it was probably carried by an officer or non-commissioned officer and thus lacks all the interesting marks that would appear on a trooper's sword. A discussion of this type of sword can be found in a blog post here:

SWORD LORE II: M1852 PRUSSIAN CAVALRY SABER

Prussian hussars sporting the 1852 Prussian cavalry saber Having recently completed the research for a newly acquired sword, I thought I'd...

edmwargamemeanderings.blogspot.com

The single blade is hard to place. Without a hilt or clear stamping to narrow choices down the field is wide open. In general, if it is 30 inches or less from where the tang is attached to the tip of the blade and the blade has not been shortened, it probably belonged to an infantry sword. If it's in the 32 inch range it might have belonged to a mounted infantry officer. If 34 inches or more, it might have belonged to a cavalry sword. Also, the general appearance of the blade suggests 19th century American or European manufacture. These are just rough guesstimates and may be totally wrong.

My disclaimer is that I am not an expert and you should do your own research and get other opinions.

 

[Rhea Cole]

The sword with the thin straight blade is an 1860 model staff & field officer's sword. Here is a link with good photos:

US M1860 STAFF AND FIELD OFFICER'S SWORD BY AMES

This recent estate find is a Civil War vintage Ames-made Staff and Field officers sword. Rhomboid blade is 32" long, profusely etched with military trophies, Federal Eagle and patriotic motifs. Blade is marked by Ames. Scabbard is covered by a 150 year old crust, which conceals the original...

sailor-in-saddle.myshopify.com