The elaborate construction of the basket of this sword identifies it as a member of a rare and distinct group of mid 18th century Scottish swords that are commonly refereed to as "pinch of snuff" swords, from the William Delacour painting, c. 1750, which shows an officer of the 78th or Fraser's Regiment armed with a baskethilt of this type doing a pinch -

This particular backsword is replicated from one in the Eglinton Castle collection, now in the the Royal Ontario Museum. It features wire-wrapped ray skin grip, the intricate basket hilt, a double fullered single edged blade of tempered 1065 high carbon steel, and a scabbard with matching fittings.

length: 39"
blade: 33"
blade thickness: 3/16"
blade width: 1 15/16" at guard
blade width: 5/8" at 2" from tip
basket: 4 1/2" x 5" x 4 3/4"
interior grip length: 4 3/4"
blance point: 3" in front of basket
weight (sword): 2 lb 15.0 oz
weight (sword and scabbard): 3 lb 10.5 oz

Discontinued