Original U.S. Mexican-American War Era Mounted Officer’s Saber with Magnificent German-Made Fire-Blued Gold-Inlaid Blade & Scarce Brass Scabbard by Peter Knecht in Solingen

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an outstanding museum-quality example of a Mexican-American War era mounted officer’s saber, with perhaps the most well-preserved fire-bluing & gold inlay we have ever seen from this period. It is near as beautiful as it was the day it was manufactured by Peter Knecht of Solingen. Knecht was born in Solingen in 1798 and founded his own manufacturing facility of edged weapons in 1823. He passed away in 1852, which would date this example to the Mexican-American War, likely being manufactured between 1835 and 1840.

The sword is all brass mounted with a standard "P" handguard with a beautifully decorated ivory grip. The grip is carved ribbed ivory or bone, and is mostly intact, with lovely checkered panels. There is some chipping in the material on both sides but nothing serious.

The 29¾” blade of this example is nothing short of magnificent. Each side has a fuller towards the spine, with some great engraving on the first half of the blade, which is still all gold enhanced, with even the original gold bordering at both sides of the blade still retained, which is always the first detail to disappear. Also, the majority of the beautiful "fire blue" finish is present on the first half of the blade, something we rarely see! There is little wear, but the blue/purple color is still extremely well-retained for its age, and even has some lovely designs at the transition to bright steel. The patriotic motifs are phenomenal, and the blade even retains the leather blade buffer, which is very thin and very weak.

The spine of the blade is engraved P. Knecht in Solingen, denoting manufacture by Peter Knecht in the legendary City of Blades, Solingen, Germany.

This gorgeous sword comes complete with its original scarce all-brass construction scabbard. The scabbard has minor denting, but nothing too serious. The structural integrity of the scabbard is still great. The brass has darkened a bit, and the two suspension rings are still fully intact.

The sound this sword makes when being unsheathed from an all-brass scabbard is absolutely astounding. A truly gorgeous early American sword, ready for further research and display.

Approximate Dimensions:
Blade Length: 29¾”
Overall length: 34¼”
Scabbard length: 31”