Original U.S. Civil War Rare Model 1860 Naval Cutlass by Ames Mfg. Co. with Wire Wrap Grip & Heavily Worn & Repaired Leather Riveted Scabbard

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice example of the rarely seen U.S. Naval Cutlass, as used from 1860-1865. The boarding cutlass was derived from the French pattern of 1833, often referred to as a “cullere a pot,” or more commonly called the “soup ladle” weapon. It features all brass mounts, leather wire-wrapped sword grip, and a nice riveted leather scabbard. These scabbards were riveted instead of stitched, as saltwater destroys stitching very quickly. 

The curved 26 inch blade’s ricasso is unmarked on this example, and this combined with the lack of a serial number and the wire-wrapped grip could mean this was an officer’s example.

The blade is in good service-worn condition with a lot of darkening and some oxidation towards the tip. There is no blade buffer. The underside of the guard is blank, which would be correct for an officer’s variation. The brass basket has some heavy denting along the edge as shown.

The included leather scabbard is in very heavily worn condition with a break in the leather that has almost split the scabbard in half. Additionally, there is very heavy crazing and cracking to the leather with one of the rivets missing near the center. The frog button on this example appears to have broken off and was slid over the scabbard as shown. There is also a drag at the end of the scabbard, which we have not seen before.

A fantastic M1860 Naval Cutlass with a wire-wrapped grip and a heavily worn but genuine scabbard. Ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 26"
Blade Style: Curved Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 31“
Basket dimensions: 4 1/2" width x 5” length