Old german(?) sword
So my grandfather peacefully passed away few weeks ago at age 93. We have been taking care of his house and cleaning all the junk out of it. Tucked away we found this sword. What can be done with it? Sell as is? appraise? Unfortunately he never spoke of it and I'm sure he forgot he even had it. His immediate relatives, brother etc, dont have any idea either, never seen this before. Quick google AI search led me to believe that its Prussian Faschinenmesser M1864. I think its in pretty rough condition, the surface of the blade has lots of scratches etc.
Inherited
Yes
Hi Oleksiy,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
The German 1864 Pattern Faschinenmesser is indicative of the mid/late 19th century shift of European armies away from sword-armed infantry with ornate sidearms towards something more functional (and cheap to mass-produce). They saw widespread use during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) but also were continued as ceremonial use into the early 20th Century.
The crossguard markings "167. R. T. 1. 2" can be translated as "167. R. = 167th Infantry Regiment (R = Regiment); T. = Truppenteil (sub-unit), or sometimes Train (support element); 1. = company number; 2 = weapon number / rack number within that company" In short, this was the Weapon #2 of 1st Company, 167th Infantry Regiment.
The markings on the scabbard throat "27. A. 3.50" likely reads as "27. A. = 27th Artillery Regiment; 3. = 3rd Battery; 50 = weapon / rack number." I'm not certain what the tiny numbers/letters on the pommel (dots, stars, inspector letters, etc) mean but are possibly German foundry marks.
These are not particularly rare but this one is better than most because it retains its original scabbard. While you might be able to find another being sold by a dealer or other retailer for $450-650 (CAD), when these are sold at auction, they usually bring lower prices, typically in the $300-500(CAD) range.
I'm sorry I can't provide you with answers as to how your grandfather acquired this; if there were a documentable story behind it, the value might increase a bit.
I hope I've given you some information about this - thank you again for using Mearto and have a great day.
Delia
Alex,
The first part of the appraisal was not AI-generated and I apologize if it seemed that way. In light of your comments I have consulted with a former colleague whose area of expertise is late 19th/early 20th Century European edged weapons (mine is much earlier edged weapons) and he concurred with your assessment, acknowledging where my research was incorrect.
As a result, the value has been raised and I appreciate the opportunity to amend my appraisal.
Delia
Hi there,
Thank you for the appraisal. I don't believe the first part is accurate at all. Almost seems AI-generated. The paragraph about it being a yatagan-bayonet doesn't seem to apply at all. I've searched all of the pics of existing examples of French Model 1866 Chassepot yataghan-style bayonet as you have identified it, and they dont look anything close to my sword. However, this site clearly has nearly identical swords to mine. https://stewartsmilitaryantiques.com/german-1864-pattern-faschinenmesser-frog-east-asia-china-artillery.56164.archive.htm
This is clearly a non-bayonet sword.
Unit marking identifications, at least, I hope are correct.
Alex