Original Ames Model 1860 Cavalry Sabre. Civil War Sword

From Mr. Picker’s own collection, here is a Model 1860 Civil War Cavalry saber made by and marked Ames mfg. Co. Chicopee, Mass. This Cavalry sword is in very good, as found condition.
I have heard Mr. Picker say, many times,
‘Some folks make the mistake of cleaning and polishing some of these great and rare old pieces of our history. I think by doing so, they are cleaning away a part of history itself and that is a terrible shame.’
He may have told me this last part about this sword, or perhaps one of the many other’s he’s collected, but what is true for one, is true for all, so I’d rather see the dirt and the pitting left on the sword, where it belongs. The fact is, tat old grime - ‘IS’ - what connects this sword, to its history.
Submitted here for you to examine is a real sword that bears the scars of real history on its back. The maker’s stamping mark is etched on the blade at the hilt. Although the engravings are all very clear, someone carved an X over top of the maker’s name. The same X, only lighter is carved over the military marks on the opposite side of the blade. Stamped US with GKC the inspector’s initials, stamped next in line and finally the date of 1864. Perhaps the X’s are the work of an angry confederate soldier who had been fighting the Union Army throughout the long and bloody war. Perhaps he had taken the sword in battle and then simply crossed out the Yankee marks is a gesture of defiance and anger, in order to claim it for his own. We will likely never know the truth of it all.
The saber grip are made of leather and wrapped in copper or brass wire. Other than a few cracks, the grips are in good condition for the sword's age. Tight and very much intact, the blade itself is pitted here and there, but mostly smooth. The curved blade measures 35 inches to the hilt and the entire sword measures 41 ½ inches tip to butt. The scabbard is 37 inches and is coated in rust and missing the throat, but otherwise is in good shape and fits the sword well.
A fine example of a Civil War Cavalry sword; Dated and maker marked as proof of it being part of Civil War History.
More Photos available, so please ask.


Circa: 1864
Condition: used . as found
Color: steel and brass
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Ames
Author: US