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    Volovonok

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    Everything posted by Volovonok

    1. I am struggling to ID remains of a Japanese sword and would appreciate any advice on this matter. The blade came with a plain plated guard which does not match with a description of any Japanese military sword. I was advised that Japanese officials in the occupied Korea carried swords with similar guards but those had shorter 650 mm blades while this blade is 730 mm long. The total length from tip to the end of threaded tang is 845 mm, blade is 20 mm wide at the ricasso. Interestingly, the blade arrived with the mismatched scabbard it does not fit into. Though they appear to be of the matching size, the scabbard curvature is slightly more than that of the blade's.
    2. I am afraid you are looking for a black cat in the dark room where there is none. Here is the sword as acquired prior to the light cleaning I gave it. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/tayler-and-fletcher/catalogue-id-srta10031/lot-3914fbce-87a8-49dd-8bb4-ac10012095de The verdegris deposits which hue "SCREAMS" at you modern copper-sulfate is in fact residue of AUTOSOL polish I used to lift rich oxidation. As my light hand cleaning has not been completed I have not brushed it all yet. This type of brass hilts has been criticised profusely for being flimsy, soft, fragile and made of "bad metal badly tempered" for years. I have no issues with the hilt, I have seen far worse, broken and split. They are not all found undamaged and this one has years and years of age on it. The 1845 style blade was not exactly a new design when introduced by Wilkinson. It bears quite a strong resemblance to cavalry troopers' blades as used by both the British light and heavy cavalry since 1821. The spear-point is arguable more distinct of the 1845 type officers' blade, but overall it is hardly a revolutionary design. Henry Wilkinson more or less took the cavalry troopers' blade and mounted it on officers' hilts. And I have already mentioned above it does not seem to be a standard Wilkinson type blade. If you look at the tip it has no middle rib typical for many regulation blades post 1845. There's a possibility the blade has been replaced to comply with the regulations on new blade type or to convert it into a picquet weight swords as known in the Foot Guards (Brian Wolfe uses term "levy" above) after 1845 which use was widespread and continued throughout the life of the Gothic-hilted patterns (please refer to p.159 of "Swords of the British Army" by B.Robson).
    3. Wow, thank you very much for this information. I did not even know where to start and this is a great help indeed. Your input is very much appreciated. Neave baronets are a very good fit for this coat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neave_baronets And Sir Arundell Neave, 4th Baronet (1829–1877) seem to be a suitable owner of this sword. He gained the rank of Captain in the service of the 3rd Dragoon Guards. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of Essex. He succeeded to the title of 4th Baronet Neave, of Dagnam Park, Essex [G.B., 1795] on 10 March 1868. Judging by the sword It seems that he started his military service in some infantry regiment and then transferred to cavalry. As to the crescent on the coat, I believe this is his father's coat-of-arms who was 3rd Baronet so the second descendent in line after the original grantee of the title. Sir Arundell Neave had no brothers and succeeded as the 4th Baronet Neave on 10 March 1868 following his father's death. http://www.thepeerage.com/p2648.htm#i26473 http://www.thepeerage.com/p31456.htm Based on above, the sword could be dated between 1850 and 1855. What do you think?
    4. I wonder if anyone could recommend me some web source for searching the coat-of-arms I found on the newly acquired sword after cleaning off some surface rust. The owner initials are AMN and, if possible, I would like to ID this officer.
    5. Thanks, Brian, for this explanation. Though it sounds very logic and perfectly well explains the shorter length of the blade, I still find it difficult to get used to this idea as this sword would fit quite well even to my 9-year old son whose height is approx. 135 cm (53"). The idea about the broken blade having been ground down has also crossed my mind but I dismissed it for two reasons. First, if it was a standard blade it must have been shortened from both sides as it has very narrow ricasso where blade does not normally break. Second, this is not a standard Wilkinson blade as its fuller is 47 cm as opposed to 48-50 cm on the regulation blades in my possession. So this blade has been shorter than normal from the beginning. I will give it some clean to see etchings on the blade better. Unfortunately, the sword is in rather poor condition - hinge is broken, fish skin is gone, wood grip is damaged. When I cherished the hope this piece was a sergeant's sword I had been thinking of investing in its restoration. I am not sure if this is still a good idea. What do you think?
    6. I have some doubts as to this blade. It is not something unseen for the French 1822 swords to have German made blades but the acceptance markings do not seem to be legit to me. Though I have little experience with the French swords I once owned a replica of French 1810 heavy cavalry sword and it was manufactured pretty well. So I would like to have some side opinions on this one.
    7. I have got another sword I am struggling to ID reliably and would be grateful for any opinions on this piece. It has the Gothic hilt with George IV royal cypher which helps to date it to 1820-1830. There is no maker, regimental or other marks whatsoever apart from the faint etching to the forte of the blade. At first sight it seems to be a standard Pattern 1822 infantry officer sword with the Wilkinson blade BUT the length of the blade is far shorter than that required under the regulation which turns this sword into a hanger. Blade length 63.5 cm (25"). Total length 76.5 (30"). My another thought was this may be a sergeant's sword which explains its poor condition as sergeant's blades were not privately purchased but supplied and handed over to successors in rank. Robson in his book on Swords of the British Army, describes sergeant's swords as nearly identical to officer's swords but with plain blades and a brass, as opposed to a gilt, hilt. He also mentions there were sergeant's swords with the blades of an intermediate form between the original pipe-backed blades and the fullered, Wilkinson, design adopted in 1845. Such a sword is shown on page 212 on the book but once again the measurements of the blade are totally different: 32 1/2" blade length with 9" spear point while mine is 25" in length with 8" spear point. As sergeant's swords are scarce, I wonder if a shorter version was also introduced? Any thoughts are welcome.
    8. Thanks for the discussion and shared opinions, gentlemen, but I specifically searched amongst the Spanish swords models due to checked wooden hilt and have not allocated any match. The two narrow fullers near the spines of the blade must be a significant hint but I have not come across a similar blade before. I have another interesting sword which I will post separately.
    9. Hello, Would you please help me to ID this cavalry sword. My initial thought was this is Spanish or Dutch piece but my search has not returned any hits. Many thanks
    10. Gentlemen, would you please either confirm or disprove my suspicions as to these two Chinese medals. I believe these are the fantasy pieces.
    11. Thank you very much for providing a very accurate and well supported answer to my question.
    12. Hello gents, I would be grateful for any help in identifying the purpose of this small commemorative silver plate/fob. It seems Mr. F. Evans served in this Belgian regiment in 1914 but how this thing was actually used given the attached chain? The inscription reads 1 Reg: De Lugne, Evans F. Bruxelles. 1914 The total size is 5 cm with 15 cm long chain. Reverse side with chain.
    13. Would you help me to decide whether this is a good piece or a fake? My concerns are: 1) The centrepiece does not seem to be made of gold but I may be wrong here 2) It is rather light for a piece of silver of 6 cm in diameter - this is subjective of course. 3) The cresent and star are made of yellow metal without any traces of red enamel. Extra images
    14. I will check the variations I have already got and get back to you if these are missing in my collection.
    15. Would you please help to ID this dagger and decipher the meaning of engraving on its handle? I gather it may have relation to RAF Third Tactical Air Force stationed in South East Asia during WWII. The knife may have been acquired / handmade locally by a RAF member while on leave at rest camp in Darjeeling, West Bengal. What "87466992. Lac. Corke" may stand for?
    16. Would you please PM me the prices for what is on sale. I may be interested in the Orders of Red Labour Banner and Red Combat Banner. Is Red Star 233588 (Heel type) available as well? Tnx
    17. Yes, these badges were awarded to the lower ranks of Red/Soviet Army only. The first badges were introduced in May 1942 as alternative military awards to the Soviet decoration system. There are 23 badges in total, two of which (rifleman and excellence in aviation) were constituted after the end of WWII. The numerous variations, produced both during and post war. All are discontinued in 1957. General information on the badges (Chrome is able to translate the page into English): https://medalww.ru/nagrady-sssr/nagrudnye-znaki-sssr/znaki-otlichnikov/ The variations are shown here: https://forums-su.com/viewforum.php?f=773
    18. It has nothing to do with the Imperial Russia for sure.
    19. Please let me know, if you get hold of other badges of this kind. I am collecting them, both war and post war manufactured variations.
    20. Hello, Is Excellent Fireman still on sale? What other badges from this series you have got available?
    21. Probably they are right, this kind of badges isn't my cup of tea. Though, what did they say about the enamels?
    22. I don't like it. This is a rare badge which is widely faked. Check the size, it should be 54x43 mm. Check here at the bottom http://www.sovietznak.ru/badge/398 I see difference between these two while they seem to be of the same type. Also note that enamels have been re-laid with the factory chimney and smoke covered. I don't like the engraving either, it does not look fluent enough and the "N" sign is non-typical.
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