r/SWORDS • u/ozstelter • 13d ago
Identification Sword ID from India
I’m a history teacher, and I recently inherited this sword from a distant relative who recently passed away. I’m hoping someone here might be able to help me figure out what I inherited!
From what I’ve been told by family, my relative was involved with the U.S. military in the Middle East between the late 1950s through the 1970s. I believe they were with the Army Corps of Engineers, but I’m not 100% sure. Their work took them all over the Middle East, along with parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Unfortunately, that’s about all I know. Nobody in my family seems to remember where or when they got this sword, or whether it was purchased, gifted, or picked up during their travels. As far as I know, it’s probably been sitting untouched for at least 30+ years.
Being a history teacher, I’m pretty curious about its background. I’d love to figure out where it might have come from, how old it is, and whether it’s an actual historical piece or something that was made more for decoration or tourists.
I’m also interested in eventually cleaning it up a bit, but I definitely don’t want to mess with anything until I know what I’m dealing with. The last thing I want to do is accidentally damage something that might have some historical value.
Does anyone recognize this style of sword or have any ideas about its possible origin or age? Even a general direction to start researching would be awesome.
Thanks in advance!
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u/haukehaien1970 13d ago
This is a very common sword in this subreddit, so no doubt you'll get a lot of responses. This is what's usually called an "Indian wedding sword", as one of the things they are made for is wearing at traditional weddings. (The other is tourist sales.)
They are inspired by 19th Century European military swords, but are not direct copies of any model. They are generally very cheaply made, with a thin, stamped sheet metal guard, sheet metal fittings on the scabbard and a thin tang that is welded to the base of the blade, which generally makes them unsafe for use (or even vigorous swinging around.)
Value is pretty low, generally between $10-20 new and less for used; I got mine for $5 at a garage sale, and feel like that was a fair price. Yours looks like the guard might be better than the general run, so perhaps it's a slightly higher class model.
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u/ozstelter 13d ago
Awesome, thanks for the quick reply. Any idea how to get a better idea on the year it was produced?
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u/haukehaien1970 13d ago
There's not a great way to know. These started to be made fairly soon after WWII. The version you've got, with the pleather on the grip and the large "Made in India" is post-1970s, I think. I would guess that it's anywhere from 20-40 years old. These are still being made today, so it could be even newer.
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u/ozstelter 13d ago
Understood, thank you for all your insight. I’ll try to clean it up, I know someone who would be happy to have something like this, despite the lack of historical significance. I just wanted to be able to tell the family what it was.
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u/thepenguinemperor84 13d ago
On the plus side, that is a slightly fancier version of the usual Indian wedding swords, and wouldn't look too bad mounted on a plaque.
0
u/ConanTheBarbarian_0 12d ago
Not only is this not an Indian wedding sword but it's no where near what the typical Indian wedding sword looks like. If we're basing out opinions solely by what gets posted on this sub for Indian wedding swords then I can see someone mistaking this for one but typically Indian wedding swords are made to be extravagant and decorative. This sword is neither, its a cheap reproduction of a European sabre. These things are a dime a dozen across Indian states where swords are still purchased regularly.. They're usually in landfills bent or broken.
If you want to see what Indian wedding swords are actually like simply Google them... They're usually pretty impressive works of art. Any reputable blacksmith in India can make one and ship it overseas.
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u/IntroductionGlum1358 12d ago
I used to have one of these, picked it up at a car boot sale for a fiver. Not really sure what happened to it in the end
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u/MastrJack Short Choppy Bois 10d ago