Ahah! Now it comes back!!!
Its been a LONG time Eljay and great memories.
I could not recall the details of that 'switcheroo' but now I remember. It was that you and I bought the same brass hilt dragoon sword at the same time inadvertently and Flayderman was totally embarrasssd (I had been making payments on it when it had already been sold to you).
The BEST thing out of the whole mess was I got to meet you! and we began the collaboration in collecting British patterns.
In the ensuing dealing I bought this lion head and I think two other swords from him.
I see what you mean about probable remount and in Neumann, they show these lion heads on some hangers of the period. I now recall that you had traded it back to Flayderman and I ended up buying it from him. There was a LOT of confusion in that series of deals.
Will, beautiful examples!!!! Thank you for sharing them and really helping with the perspective here.
I am puzzled by why it would be remounted with this very long blade. The dragoon blades of this time were quite long (I had one with a 40" blade). Would READ have been the cutler who remounted it? or perhaps the hilt (as a hanger?) was his. Lots of questions in the working life of these.