An American Silver-Hilted Eagle Pommel Mounted Officer's Sabre, Attributed to Andrew Ellicott Warner, Baltimore, circa 1815

curved blade, marked G at ricasso, silver guard with a rounded quillon, knuckle bow terminating in a volute finial clenched within the eagle's opened beak; the guard with two branches of heavy round silver-wire between which is a silver oval-support, finely worked eagle-pommel, original leather scabbard with two silver mounts (chape lacking)

Acquired by Dr. Lattimer from Robert Abels, 1961
Lattimer, No. 22

Hartzler, p. 239, No. 403

There are two other swords with eagles of this same type. One, a silver-hilted Artillery Officer's heavy sabre, was sold by Butterfield & Butterfield, 20 November 1989, Lot 6001 - that sword was hallmarked by Warner. Another, though of gilt-brass, was also from the Butterfield's sale (Lot 6011). All three have matching eagles, but all three differ in hilt architecture. The sword sold at Butterfield's as lot 6011 appears in Mowbray's The American Eagle-Pommel Sword(p. 84), and is described by him as a "Sword of Honor."

This eagle is unusual in that its beak is of a truly open design in a manner not normally found on other swords of this period, and is the only such of its type in the Lattimer collection. The open beak and the scrolling guard are similar to the motif of an American Eagle holding a riband - such as those found frequently on sword blades of the era. Further, it bears a striking similarity to the designs by John Reich for the U.S. Mint of the American Eagle to be found on the reverse of American silver coinage beginning as early as 1807, and also used famously on the Gobrecht Dollar of 1836. The design was based on Titian Ramsay Peale's drawing for the U.S. Mint.