French 1771 Pattern Foot Artillery Sword.

And original rare French 1771 pattern Foot Artillery sword with solid eagle head pommel and hilt and a thick Roman gladius type blade with three fullers on both sides.To be totally transparent, I have had this sword for around 20 years, and it has been a bit knocked about, the hilt has obvious signs of wear and use with various numbers and marks to the guard, the blade is quite pitted, lightly at the top with more frequent pits near the tip. it does have a line of inspection marks at the top of the blade, but unfortunately these are hard to read, due to wear etc.The leather and brass scabbard is not its original issue but the type it would have had, but this one is probably from the French 1831 gladius type artillery sword which I picked up for it at a military fair, and it is just about a perfect fit.This sword was used throughout the 18th century, serving both as a practical tool for tasks like clearing brush, and as a sidearm it could inflict significant damage in close quarter fighting. It is a heavy sword but surprisingly well balanced and the eagle head grip is quite comfortable to hold, so however impractical it looks, I'm sure it was a formidable weapon. It measures 25 inches long.Shipping to UK mainland only, via courier priced at £13.95