138 BULLETIN 16 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Another °^ of this same general type has a similar blade but with- 

 out decorations. The grip bears a brass monogram " W II," 

 crowned. The pommel is a plain brass cap, and the guard a plain 

 flat brass strip. A hinged shield on the obverse of the blade bears 

 the imperial eagle crowned in brass openwork. A third sword ''^ 

 in this group has a blade with a very slight curve and a wide shallow 

 groove on each side. The grip is made of hardwood and terminates 

 in a lion-head pommel. The guard is a plain, slender, brass strip, 

 and a small shield attached to the obverse of the quillon bears crossed 

 cannons. 



WORLD WAR OFFICERS' SABERS 



The officers' sabers include one ^* having a slender blade with an 

 overhanging convex back. Both sides are damascened, and the ob- 

 verse bears a gold shield of arms crowned, and inscribed " Immota 

 Fides." The grip is covered with iishskin and surmounted by a 

 plain convex steel strip terminating in a plain pommel. The guard, 

 wliich was cut from a single plate, is of the three-fourths basket type 

 with three openings on the left of the blade and two on the right. 

 The collection includes another saber *^^ with the same type of grip 

 and guard but with a plain blade having a single wide groove on each 

 side. An officer's saber ^^ of exceptional artistic interest belonging 

 to this group is one having a medium-length blade with a wide deep 

 groove on each side, both of which are etched with a shield bearing 

 a lion rampant to the right and floral and scroll designs. The grip, 

 which is covered with fishskin and wound vertically with nine turns 

 of brass wire, is surmounted by a plain convex steel strip and ter- 

 minates in a ridged pommel. The guard consists of a wide oval steel 

 plate decorated with openwork floral and scroll designs arranged in 

 regular sequence. The lower part of the guard near the pommel 

 bears a bronze monogram showing two L's below a crown. The 

 scabbard is made of steel and. painted black. 



WORLD WAR ENLISTED MEN'S SABERS 



The enlisted men's sabers in this group are of four types: (1) 

 Sabers having guards similar to those of the enlisted men's sabers 

 of the early part of the nineteenth century described above; (2) 

 those having guards resembling those of the French cavalry sabers 

 with two circular branches; (3) those having basket-shaped guards 

 cut from a single plate with three wide openings on the obverse 



8- Length, 95.2 cm. Blade, 82 cm. long, 2.3 cm. wide. PI. 41, fig. 2. 

 «2 Length, 91.9 cm. Blade, 78.1 cm. long, 2.5 cm. wide. PI. 41, fig. 3. 

 8* Length, 96 cm. Blade, 83.8 cm. long, 1.8 cm. wide. PI. 41, fig. 4. 

 8= Length, 94 cm. Blade, 81.5 cm. long, 2.3 cm. wide. PI. 41, fig. 6. 

 68 Length, 98.8 cm. Blade, 94.5 cm. long, 2.8 cm. wide. PI. 41, fig. 5. 



