Pinch of Snuff Basket-hilt

[Jim McDougall]

I found the image I was looking for of the British dragoon officers sword with branched guard that I once had. While these are typically of iron as seen here and other references, mine was with brass hilt. The wire and rayskin grip was similar.

It seems that as officers swords of course were privately commissioned there was a certain penchant for gilt hilts, which often were done over brass.
It would seem that here we have examples of officers swords on this period, 1760s, which were done in brass perhaps for such application.

The image is from "the British Basket Hilted Cavalry Sword" by A.D.Darling,
'The Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting" Vo.7, #3, 1974