Appraisal for 1821 British Artillery Officers Pattern Sword belonging to Surgeon Major E.B. Echlin

Background:

Since the Napoleonic Wars officers of the Royal Artillery carried the same regulation patterns that were required for infantry officers. At some point in the 1840s, officers in Royal Artillery gave up carrying the infantry pattern sword in favour of Pattern 1821 Light Cavalry officer's sword. As the pattern was officially introduced in the 1822 Dress Regulations, it is not incorrect to also refer to it as a Pattern 1822 Officers Sword. The Pattern 1821 Royal Artillery Officer's Sword, as it is now known, is still the regulation pattern for officers of the Royal Artillery.

Description:

The sword is a single fullered blade design, 34 1/2” long, with an overall length of 40 1/2”. Blade width is 1 1/8” at the shoulder. The sword overall is in clean condition, with some cosmetic flaws. Theblade is nice, with crisp deep etching, however there is localized pitting here and there, and one small notch in the blade edge. The blade is straight and solid in the hilt. There is no scabbard present, however a period photo of Surgeon Major Echlin wearing the sword shows it to have been steel.

The hilt is in solid condition, with a surprisingly clean and bright surface to the steel parts. The twistedtriple silver wire is all in place, but the shagreen grip covering has lifted a bit from below the ferrule. The overall condition of the grip remains excellent, with only minor surface wear towards the pommel. The tang nut is tight and secure and shows no sign of removal or tampering.

The sword is decorated with traditional late-Victoria designs, in additional to conventional decorations found on artillery officers swords, namely the canon and winged lightning bolts. The swords obverse side carries the owners name “E.B. Echlin” in a scroll located close to the hilt, above which can be found the inscriptions “2nd Ottawa Field Battery” and “Canadian Artillery”. The reverse side of blade shows the Beaver surmounted by a Victoria Crown, with “VR” cypher below. Both of these characteristics confirm the sword to be pre-1901 in manufacture. Given Surgeon Major Echlin's second appointment to the 2nd Ottawa Field Battery came after the death of Queen Victoria, it is most likely the was manufactured between 1898-1899.

The sword carries the name of “Strickland & Sons – Savile Row London W.” on the spine, along with the serial number 100524. This is not the sword maker, but rather the military tailor shop that had it made for Surgeon Major Echlin. Based on the Proof Slug, it is likely the sword was made by Pillin, London.

Evaluation:

As both Canadian and British Artillery Officers still to this day carry the 1821 Pattern sword, numerousexamples can be found on the market dating back to the 1850s, however there are a number of considerations that can affect the overall value.

The first such consideration is Victoria versus later Edwardian, Georgian or Elizabethan swords. Generally Victorian swords are more valuable because of the superior manufacture and quality of etching. 20th century swords are mostly acid etched and plated, which often leads to flaking and the crispness of the etching is noticeably inferior.

Swords that carry Canadian regimental markings and motifs (like the Beaver) are rare, and when coupled with an officer's name, even more so. The sword in question can be definitely attributed to Surgeon Major E.B. Echlin of the 2nd Ottawa Field Battery, and tightly dated within 2 years, namely early 1898 to late 1899. Adding to the swords value is the scarcity of an officer's swords from this relatively small field battery, and photographic evidence of Surgeon Major Echlin wearing the sword.

The lack of scabbard does affect the value, however a replacement can be obtained as the dimensions are fairly generic for this pattern.

Current market comparators are limited as no similar Canadian swords could be found for sale domestically, as such most swords looked at are being sold internationally. Swords of similar quality, age and attribution can be found for sale via known British sellers between 600 GBP and 700 GBP. Although examples can be found much higher than this, the majority of sales can be found in this general range.

Because of the scarcity of this Canadian sword and its specific attributions I would place the value at between $900 - $1100 CDN. The only caveat I would place on this valuation is that listing prices or swords do not always reflect sale prices, and markets can fluctuate based on supply and demand.

Respectfully submitted,

Rob O'Reilly