Photos Please help identify this interesting find

K

Kali4nia

Joined
Aug 12, 2015
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176
I originally thought it was a low quality piece until I looked closer. Great fit up, solid, all steel handle. Im now thinking this may be of some importance, I may be wrong. Any ideas?

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The handle is cast in place aluminum. Not sure about the knife though.

Hoss

*edit; took a second look and that might be a plated steel handle, oops.
 
German / Prussian Faschinenmesser 1864 pattern. They fall into the pioneer class of short swords, sort of a machete/weapon. Lots were imported as surplus over the years. Plating could be old or newer, many were refinished to make them more popular as wall hangers.
 
Ah, it's the pattern. I figured it was a dime a dozen type of thing. I think i'll clean it up then.
 
I always refer to those mass produced low end short swords as hunting/bush swords. They were first issued to infantry soldiers as tools to clear brush, dig holes, and other long knife tasks. They could be used as last ditch fighting weapons if needed, but were not particularly well suited for that. When soldiers went home after the various wars between the mid 1800's and the 1920's, they took their sword home as a farm and field tool … basically a machete.

The style is called a M1864, meaning model 1864. Many were made with no handle embellishments and little blade markings. IIRC, in WWI they were cranked out by the tens of thousands, some being made plain and as cheap as possible. The handles were cast in place on the tang in aluminum.
 
Thank you. This is one of three cheap ones, not a single mark and was beat up pretty bad. Looks like someone was trying to do a fif strength test. Edge was badly damaged
 
On many of similar swords the edge is very soft to start with. IIRC, many wartime production military swords were Rc 45-48. They could be sharpened with a file, a rock, a piece of cement, etc.
 
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