Hello.

Ive just bought this sabre. I cant find any markings on the hilt and the blade seems to have been nickel-plated recently. The seller claim it is an authentic sabre from napoleon war era. What do you think?

Regards

//Andreas.

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Welcome aboard

The bright etch is not indicative (to me) of a first empire Napoleonic era sword. The sword poses a number of questions to me.

I'll ask one question and even then would have little more to offer.

What does the peen look like?

Generally speaking, the hilt type is of a Chasseurs à Cheval AN XI. It might be a second empire item and put together as late as the 1870s. We would have to account for private purchases but the French furbishers were pretty good with at least marking their hilts. The sword might represent a sale to another country as well.

An officer's blade of the Napoleonic War era (and of the first empire) would have been a needle etched blue&gilt type and not this deep relief type of etch found more often from the 1820s on.

The blade itself seems of a later period to me and I would be curious if there are indications it might have been a marriage between blade and hilt at a late date (again, what does the peen look like?). The scabbard also a bit out of place for the first empire swords.

Cheers
GC