Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful, solid example of a French Grenadier Hanger Sword as used during the American Revolutionary War. A Hanger Sword is a bladed weapon that got its name from the manner in which it was hung on the belt of the person who used it. It could be made in large quantities, is not particularly expensive to do so, and was first used as a hunting weapon before being put to use in combat.
The Hanger sword was a type of saber that was very short and mainly placed on the belts of its owners for convenience and ease of access, hence the name. It was a very simple sword that was practical and had many uses. Its versatility is the reason why there are many different types of it.
The first type of Hanger sword was the Cutting Hanger. This single-edged and curved sword hung from the belts of foot soldiers as a military sidearm, mainly in 16th-century Europe and was still being used centuries later.
They were easy to create and didn’t have any decorations. They were meant to be used with hacking motions and didn’t serve as a status symbol. The overall length of this type of Hanger sword is around 34 ½” with a 29” blade. The grip is a lovely dark patinated brass with minor nicks present but no extensive damage. Unfortunately the whole hilt assembly is extremely loose on the tang. The whole sword appears to have been heavily cleaned and polished which wore away markings if there were any present.
The scabbard did not fare as well as the sword. While appearing to be complete, the lower brass drag is completely torn away from the leather body but is still present. The scabbard body is a lovely aged brown that has darkened to almost black in some areas. As with the sword, we could not find any markings.
A fantastic example ready for further research and display.
Approximate Dimensions:
Blade Length: 29″
Blade Style: Single Edged Curved Saber with Fuller
Overall length: 34 ½”
Scabbard Length: 29 ½”