Original U.S. Mexican-American War Era Eagle Head Infantry Officer’s Saber with Unique Spiral Ebony Grip & Fireblued Gold-Inlaid Blade

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is one of the most tremendous & unique Mexican-American War swords we have ever offered, and truly one of the most beautiful swords we’ve ever offered in general. This Infantry Officer’s sword is a noted pattern on page 107 of The American Eagle-Pommel Sword: The Early Years - 1794-1830 by E. Andrew Mowbray, where it is referred to as an Infantry Officer’s Sabre, ca. 1810 (Pemberton & Co.). However, this example has some differences that lead us to believe it was put together in the 1820s or 1830s for use in the Mexican conflict. The best part of this piece is the unique spiral ebony grip, which we’ve never seen another example of.

This example has a lovely 30½” heavily curved blade, which is fireblued for the first half of its length, with a patriotic gold-inlaid shield & cannon motif on one side, with floral motifs on the other. The firebluing is retained well for its age, but there is certainly some loss. There is heavy oxidation peppering on the top half of the blade, but this really adds to the character of the saber. The blade is almost completely straight, with just a slight bend about 4-5 inches from the tip. We do not see any dog legs or other evidence of having been bent and straightened.

The brass hilt is in great shape, this example having a lovely design with floral accents, ending in a weeping eagle pommel. There is some space between the bottom of the eagle head and the spiral ebony grip, but this is likely a manufacturing error rather than damage. The grip appears entirely original to the sword, and shows a great patina.

This is one of the best Mexican-American War swords we have ever offered, ready for further research and display!

Approximate Dimensions:
Blade Length: 30½"
Overall length: 36¼”
Crossguard: 4”