HISTORY OF EAGLE POMMELS: At the earliest days
of our republic, at the turn of the 19th century, the eagle’s head in a style that was typically American in character
first began to be used as the pommel of sword hilts intended for the military. In the United States National Museum
at Washington is an unusually interesting officer’s saber, undoubtedly of French manufacture, having an eagle head pommel
and blade decorated with spread eagle, E Pluribus Unum motto, and the date 1783. This is without question one of the first
swords to be so designed and inscribed. Once the vogue for the eagle head pommel was established, it remained in
popularity in the Army for half a century. In the naval service it was much shorter lived, probably from about 1832 into the
1840’s. That said, we have no idea of the significance of the eagle pommel on this knife, its age or country of origin.
FOR SALE IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY. THIS KNIFE IS SOLD AS A COLLECTIBLE FOR
DISPLAY ONLY AND THE OFFER IS VOID IN STATES PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUYER TO KNOW THE LAWS OF
THEIR STATE.
