What's in the Box? Lots of ANTIQUE SWORDS to look at 

I came here expecting a massive sword unboxing. Instead I got a massive box of swords. Gutted.

It never ceases to amaze me that Matt can just look at a sword and instantly tell you the date, country of origin, and what kind of soldier carried it.

Time stamps for all the swords shown off. 2:02 - French 1882 Infantry Officer's Sword 3:52 - Atypical French 1882 Infantry Officer's Sword 5:36 - WW1 Royal Artillery Officer's Sword 7:06 - 1897 British Infantry Officer's Sword (GRI) (Pelen) 9:52 - 1897 British Infantry Officer's Sword (GVR) (Scheffield) 12:43 - 1902 US Infantry Officer's Sword 15:50 - 1897 British Infantry Officer's Sword (GVR) (Wilkinson) 17:37 - 1889 German Infantry Officer's Sword, "Degen" 22:12 - 1902 US Infantry Officer's Sword (Colonial) 24:38 - 1897 Royal Engineers Officer's Sword (GVR) 27:20 - WW1 German Artillery Officer's Saber (speculative) (inspired by 1796 English Light Cavalry Saber) 30:30 - 1897 British Infantry Officer's Sword (EVRII) (Wilkinson) 33:46 - Napoleonic Flank Officer's Sword

All the US Marine Corps Officr's swords I've seen have the 6 pointed star with the brass proof disk inside the star. On another note, all of the 90 odd NCO swords that were in the JROTC armor where I attended high school were Wilkinson blades.

"Degen" apparently meant dagger from the 14th to the 17th century, but since the 16th century basically any straight sword could be called degen. Usually thrust centric - the term hau- ("hewing") degen existed to specify when it wasn't. In modern times, the term schwert (sword) has reestablished itself, and degen mostly just means epee or smallsword.

I love these videos so much. Feels like it's been years since we got a proper unboxing.

This looks like Christmas to me. It's what I always hope to find under my tree. Just a massive box of swords and I get to go through and see what I got.

This was really a nice variety to go over all in one video. New sword day is always fun, but this is a great video to cover a whole bunch of different military swords in one go. As always, count me jealous ;-)

Thanks Matt, really enjoyed this 'unboxing' video format. Would be cool to see a follow-up video showing these swords cleaned and perhaps with additional info once they are identified.

The German word for dagger is not "Degen" it is "Dolch", although apparently the word Degen was originally used for Rondell daggers. the word Degen is usually used for a sword more specialized for thrusting(and for fencing epees), the usual German word for Saber is "Säbel". The Säbel is the version more specialized for the cut, both are obviously usually cut and thrust weapons but specialized towards different sides of the spectrum

What a lovely hoard - some in great shape too! Very entertaining - keep up the good work. The stories these swords could tell.....

Excellent video. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the two US model 1902 officers sabers, which, as I discuss in my book 'The Last Cavalry Sword,' replaced the frail Model 1860 Staff and Field officers sword. The grip is probably modeled on the Italian saber of 1888. An excellent reference is Dusan Farrington's book 'Swords & Sabers of the United States Army, 1867 - 1918, which provides a thorough discussion of the development of the 1902 saber for all US army officers. (My book, "The Last Cavalry Sword' is about the US Cavalry Saber and Scabbard Model 1913 designed by General George S. Patton when he was a lieutenant on the staff of the army chief of staff.)

Really dig the American one. Favorite. So far. Sure there are more comments to come though.

Yay, it's been a while since the last unboxing! 😀

The condition of the blade on that last sword is just incredible, if weren't for some visible blemishes, you might forgiven to think that, based on the blade alone, that it was a modern made reprodcution and not an antique.

Love the unboxing! Good stuff here. :) Thanks!

When my father was commissioned into the US Army Reserve in the late 30's he had to buy an officer's sword as part of his uniform. It was the same as the 1902 US Infantry Officer's Sword you showed. Thanks for providing some information about it! He and Mom only used it once, to cut their wedding cake in 1942. My son has it hanging on his wall as it his turn now.

A nation of shopkeepers is a quote from herodotus about a people called the lydians . He was suggesting the brits were the lydians and the french were the persians

A note to german IOD 89. In fact German Imperial Army consisted of four armies. Prussian Army , including the troops of greatduchies, duchies, principalities and free Towns. Bavarian Army , three Corps. Saxon Army, two Corps and Württembergian Army, one Corps. Every Army had ITS own coat of arms annimal on guard, Eagle for Prussia, Lion for Bavaria and Saxony, Deer for Württemberg. A note to german saber similar to british 1796 saber. This can be a saber used by armed persons of civilian Administration, or may be palace units of small German states, this units had not been fully integrated into regular Army. Another possibility could be, the saber could have been used by a Citizens Militia/ Bürgerwehr. Up to 1849 this Bürgerwehren had been an auxillary force for Police and Army, but in second German Empire, and even now, they are simply Tradition Keepers. In this purely ceremonial units you can still see such narrowbladed sabers.

Nice haul! Thanks for sharing! Cheers! 💚

French for August is indeed Aout, plus some accents I'm not bothering with. But it's pronounced more like "ooh" because the a is soft and the t is silent. I'd say that "made in August 1914" basically means made just in time. I love watching how casually Matt reads the story of a sword. Edwardian cipher on a service sharpened blade, this must have belonged to a career officer who served most likely in WW1 but possibly somewhere else like Afghanistan.

I learned some insight into how was ruler of England and what was being used in the military back in 1900-1901, my great grandmother was born in 1900, and her son (my grandfather was born in 1918

If that German artillery sword was used by the army in WWI it should have the army unit ID code stamped on it somewhere, usually the hilt or scabbard. I found a Prussian M1848 mounted artillery sword in the Auckland Museum that was identified as a British 1796 LC despite the clear coding A.M.VII.5.17.on the scabbard (Artiillere-Munitionskolonne No.7, Sub-Unit 5, Weapon 17)

Fascinating stuff; thank you for sharing the unboxing experience with us!

Matt Easton: This is a pipe back. Me: Does it smell like tobacco?

I really enjoyed this! I hope you do some more in the future!

This was a lot fun Matt. I do have an unrelated question. My friend recently came across a k98 Mouser in his family home. ( an old farm house) he let me and some friends handle it. Now I own a mosin from the same Era(very common rifle in the US) but this is night and day. Working the bolt is like pushing a piece of plastic between 2 sticks of butter. Now you've said that the lee Enfield was the best and fastest bolt of the war. All this to ask, can we get a range video? British firearms being pretty rare outside the UK I'd love to see them in action, or at least disassembled. That's all apologies for the essay. Keep up the great work.

There's nothing more entertaining than watching someone having a fun time nerding over a new haul of items.

Excited to see what you get or sell. Hope the show goes well for you. I'm still really eyeing that steel royal engineers sword.

What's inside that box? ♫ What's inside that box? ♪

Very educational, I learned about the crown on wilkinson proof slugs.

What? A French company admitted to English superiority?! Zut alors!

That was really cool. You know, it's possible that someone took a block of wood and a hammer to that German sword to bend the guard so it wasn't so annoying.

In the US Civil War, infantry units on both sides modeled themselves on the famous French Zouaves, with their ballooning red pantaloons, short jackets and fez caps. In WWI, the American Expeditionary Force infantry, artillery and eventually armored units wore uniforms and helmets modelled on the British Army uniform, leg wrapping notwithstanding. In WWII, the US and Britain experienced a significant amount of divergence when it came to battle dress uniforms, sharing only the same dull green or khaki coloration of the clothing.

This is wonderful, thank you! It's quite fun to witness your excitement at the 'discovery' of these swords. Cheers!

That's odd did anyone else hear horses whinnying at the 28:27 mark and again at the 28:43 mark? 😂

Thank you so much for sharing the new swords with us 👍🏻

Would love a video of you cleaning up or just doing general maintenance of your sword collection

Always fun!

I had a sword close to identical to the (edit: the first) german straight sabre. Mine was listed as a WW I artillery NCO issue when i researched it ( 30 years ago). It had a leather finger loop and was marked Solingen, but had all the other details like the silver chain wrapped ray/shark skin grip. I thought it was a bit point heavy to fence with as a willowy teen, lol. Pretty sword though, been meaning to get another.

My 1902 is from E.A. Armstong in Chicago. The base of the blade has "Iron Cutter" on one side and "Germany" on the other. No idea when it was actually made, though.

Please show the hilt of the ladt sword, the scimitar; you svapped words around and said, it was wood wrapped on leather 😂😂😂 - I would like to see that. Love too see you unbox. Do it again 👍👍

Excellent video, very educational to me as I am just learning about swords. The Museum were I volunteer as a researcher has three of the U.S. Model 1903 Officer's Sabers including one that was issued to the Philippine Constabulary after the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection depending on your point of view.

Swords and chill

Great video!

I loved this video!! More like it please!

I learned about the brass identity disc inlaid in a sword. Always thought it was just stamped into the blade. Cheers from California 😊

Great video. Would love to see more history of some of these blades if you choose to do a deeper dive on them.

In the United States you will find the blending of many Traits in manufactured goods and products to get the believed most useful ,beautiful, and highest quality attributes for a given object or food stuff. It's like our Ale the German influence is to make it as light and crisp as possible because it's more like a refreshment in our unbearable heat of summers hear. That's why it's like drinking lemon aid instead of a heavier beer of a colder climate like Northern Europe. It's preferred cold as possible for the same reason. The flavors are that of a Belgium lager. Same for things like sabers they will mix the best qualities to try to make a superior product to limit competition and provide a lower price point.

In German we call the three(?) forms of Olympian swordfight "Degen, Säbel, Florett". Degen is more nimble and has only a very small guard, Säbel has the big basket handguard and a heavier blade, and the last one has that pistol grip. Idk, I feel like there somewhere might lie an answer, perhaps somebody has more knowledge about the terminology. Anyway, the styles relate to the weapons. Degen is like a light rapier type blade, for fencing with speed and control. Säbel/saber has a more rigid wrist and uses power, and the Florett utilizes its pinpoint speed for almost exclusively stabbing. Degen=dagger? Idk, could be, but it means something else entirely today(edit: daggers are translated to another term, it is called a Dolch.

Greetings Mr. Easton, I watch you often but rarely make comments. Question = I am very interested in a sword often listed as a "Nautical Sabre', or perhaps a 'French Baguette. A full cast Brass hilt/handle with a relatively short blade (~ 21 " or a bit more) I see them often in movies and it appears that the Royal Navy may have adopted it as well. I have one that is a rough steel equivalent, but I believe that the French aiding America in the US Revolutionary war, poured many of them on to the American supplies. I believe that this saber and a few others similar to it mark the beginning of mass-production of military cutlery. It would seem that they were mass produced and used by both Infantry and Naval forces.The one I own is a replica and my main criticism of it is the large space through the cast hilt for the Tang of the Saber to pass through and then be peened. It is more than a bit loose, if pressed. I am Very interested in what the 'Nautical Brass handled Saber' in reasonable condition may cost in the market today ? Are they common, or rare these days, and how much might one cost in today's market ? Thank you for your channel, I look forward to many more uploads in future. Cheers Mate ! B.

Love you to research that first sword and make a full video on it

I want a box like this

Goodness me I do love these unboxing videos - big fan

I've just retired, getting interested in swords. I've got a lot of Marshall history in my family. My grandfather was a US calvary captain in WWI. He went down Mexico way hunting Pancho with Patton, they were both lieutenants at the time. I'm pretty sure he would have had a sword. Anyway he was wounded pretty bad near the end of the war. I'd be very interested in an American sword from that era.

My favorite arms dealer.

⚔ 🎁 Thanks.

The etymology might be shared with dagger, but the german word for a dagger is DOLCH. Degen is the same weapon and sports instrument as the english small sword or "epée" in sports fencing and the shape had historically some semblance to a rapier

Sorry if its a bit random, but could could you perhaps talk a bit about the unique weapons found in the Maciejowski Bible (Morgan Bible)? Specifiacally the Maciejowski Falchions and Maciejowski Glaive. Love your videos btw! All the best from Canada!

OH YEAH ! Not going to lie ? Friggin awesome video ! I really really enjoyed it . I hope that you decide to do this again, can kind of get a much better idea if I wanted to chose one ? Aside for the obvious . I have often looked at what you have around you and sometimes I really like what I see but can't find it on your shop site ? Anyway thanks for all your work ( it's like having private lessons from an expert ?) So again thank you wholeheartedly. Peace James

Interesting that that first pipe back seems to lack the raised yelman.

love the unboxing videos!

O worked with a guy who found 2 swords in a wall with Swastikas. They had such a floppy blade I assumed they must have just been parade swords. I have wished I was able to find out more.

“Where do I get antique swords from? Mostly auctions, private sales, large scale heists of international museums - the usual stuff”

I've never heard "Degen" being translated to "dagger" before. The normal German word for a dagger would be "Dolch", as far as I am aware through my experience of being German. But please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. The term "Degen" was used for a broad variety of swords in the modern era, whereas it originally referred to swords such as Rapiers and other thrusting focused, quite narrow swords, as I've read.

Great video and am jealous aswell mr easton 😊

Love the last piece. The really curved sabers look so good in my opinion. Is thrusting ever done with these kind of swords? Or rather, is it perhaps viable with practice?

"Let's see what's in my box." _That's what she said._

Unboxing Day is always fun. Loved the American swords (damn colonial).

Cool

When he said “what’s in the box, sword style” I was hoping he had run into Gwyneth Paltrow.

Oh ! I forgot to mention, for some reason you seam to be a " walker magnet " ? So no doubt you enjoy all the comments you get informing you how much you get wrong and then are given much needed advice ? Gives you an absolutely perfect idea of what not to be ! Personally I get a laugh out of how ridiculously stupid people ? So thanks again I love the content and I do take your advice when I purchased edged weapons. You have stopped me from buying rubbish ,and I am very grateful for that. Peace James

How would you recommend restoring a guard on a Victorian infantry officer sword. I have seen a steel guarded sword that was originally plated but is heavily rusted. I know you don't recommend 'full restoration' but also just polishing or brushing won't bring the gaurd back. Thanks

Thats what she said! Hahaha By the by I dont know how much she will appreciate us playing "whats in the box" w/ swords there Matt. Lol

Never saw a sword unboxing before, good stuff here. Wonder if you could say something about "waivering" sword recently found in Japan. Haven't ever heard of a deliberately crooked blade.

See my first comment for more detail. That last German sword with the P guard was very similar to what was found in a wall. Are original WW2 swords of any value to collectors at least other than those who just want a swastika. How do you track down a model?

first! I don't even know about the unboxing!

In WW1 trough Holland was some extend trade from germany even to enemy's.

If you were in an open field and someone was coming to attack you with a knife what sword would you pick

I prefer the Prussian M1811 over the British p1796 light cavalry when it comes to troopers versions - may be it´s just my swords but it wields much better :)

I thought this was a Gugafoods video initially based on the thumbnail

Hi Matt a question about 19th century sabres, how durable were they expected to be? To me finer edged blades seem as if they might chip quite easily in opposing another sword even if well made. So would an officer expect to get through more than one sword in a campaign or did he buy one weapon an expect it to last a lifetime even with heavy use.

aw, I came hoping to see a massive sword being unboxed. It's like McDonald's all over again, I asked for 2 large fries and they just gave me lots of little ones

What is the oldest weapon you have had in your collection?

why doesn't the fullers of the second sword start around the bace just like more traditional blades are?

When are you coming to Arizona?

in german a dagger is called "dolch"☝️

I very much doubt that by the end of the 19th century France was economically bigger than the USA, as suggested somewhere in the video. In 1900 the population of France was a bit under 40 million, while the USA was already over 70 million, and I guess that GDP per head was also higher in the USA.

Could a colonel in the royal engineers who went off in 1914 carry an older pattern sword namely a 1857

I’m rebuilding an 1902 pattern USA Army officer sword and I need a grip. I have all the other original parts but the grip is broken. Where could I find one??

I know most of the swords currently carried in British military have ERII cyphers. Do you know if any swords are being issued with King Charles IIIs cypher?

I can't afford antiques. The last was the coolest.

Were swords ever used in trench warfare? seems like a short sword would make a great alternative to a knife/club.

By WWI Germany had excellent pistols, but before 1908 their military pistol technology was extremely archaic. The Reichesrevolver was a pistol that was outdated the day it was adopted.

Sacre bleu!, English steel, must have a lot of fun with customs.

When Churchill finally passed the test to go to Sandhurst, he was such a disappointment to his father, because he wasn't smart enough to be an infantry officer, he was only smart enough to be a cavalry officer.

First German soldier killed in WW1 by a British soldier, was killed using a sword from horseback. In other words, a cavalry skirmish..

Gripping Mate

ever buy a sword or military issued knife that ended up belonging to one of your ancestors? this question goes out not only to this guy but to everyone who sees it

Have you seen the video game Hellish Quart?