US M.1852 NAVAL OFFICER’S SWORD

Rare early example with California Retailer’s name to the forte. Standard pattern (Peterson #138). 30” blade decorated with Naval and patriotic motifs in foliage with a blank panel for officer’s name to the forte. The ricasso marked Freeman-Finch Vallejo CAL partially indistinct and may be Freeman-Finck and affiliated with the famous Will & Finck knife makers of San Francisco. Wire-wrapped sharkskin grip. Vallejo is north of San Francisco on San Pablo Bay and is connected by road to Mare Island Naval Base which was established in 1854. This sword surely served a Naval Officer stationed at or shipping out of Mare Island. The construction and decoration indicate 19th-century manufacture. A Civil War date and service is speculative but possible.