WWII M1902 Officer’s Sword (“GEMSCO”) 30”Blade. BROWN Grip! Mint!!!

Description

WWII M1902 Officer’s Sword
(
“GEMSCO”
)
30”Blade with the scarce BROWN Grip! MINT!!!
Nickeled Steel SCABBARD. MINT!!!
This ceremonial Sword and Scabbard are in absolutely FABULOUS condition!!
Referred to as a
'sword,'
technically, with the curved Blade, this is a
'saber.'
SWORD:
- The smooth, polished “
BROWN”
(not Black)
GRIP
of the Handle dates this Sword to the days of “
the brown shoe Army,”
i.e. PRIOR to the services-wide Uniform Regulation changes of 1952 that dictated that the Army, Navy, and the newly-formed Air Force were to cease wearing
RUSSET BROWN
shoes and leather accessories. (The U.S.M.C. persisted with Cordovan belts, shoes, visors for a while longer.) The subcontracted blade’s manufacture by
GEMSCO
to
"GERMANY"
suggests either a pre-war manufacture in the 1930s or immediately following
V.E. Day,
but before 1952.
VIRTUALLY ALL
reputable manufacturers procured German-made blades before and after the war from
Solingen
and other centuries-old blade makers in Germany.
-
There are no chips, nicks, scratches, or undue 'shrinkage' of the
GRIP
!
- The
BLADE
(Tip, Foible, Forte) is
STRAIGHT, BRIGHT,
and
FREE
or nicks and pitting.
- Etched on the Obverse is the “wreathed” Trade-Mark of the
“GORDON, ELKIES MILITARY SUPPLY COMPANY, Inc.”
(GEMSCO
)
and the
"U.S."
cypher,
- On the Reverse is etched the
"National Eagle"
and
"13-Star
Seal"
and the six-pointed star
“
PROVED"
which no longer
testified to the quality of Damascus Steel, but only that the Blade was manufactured to MIL-spec standards.
steel.
NOTE
: Today, there is no requirement for
Damascus
steel blades; however, the
six-pointed "Proved" star
is required in the etch to signify that the blade met the current military specifications at the time of manufacture.
- NEITHER
the Sword
NOR
the Scabbard has been engraved with any dedicatory name or information!
- Even the
TOP
unsharpened
EDGE
of the Blade is
DECORATIVE
ETCHING
!
- The elegantly curved,
BRANCHED GUARD
of Nickeled Steel is unbent and free of pitting, nicks, scrapes, corrosion, or damage of any sort. Each of the detailed 'Branches' is in perfect condition!
Unlike the somewhat 'rectangular' profile of the Guards of some makers, this
"GEMSCO, Inc.”
GUARD
has a pleasing, perfect semi-circular profile!
- The
TANG
is secured by a Oval-shaped
NICKELED POMMEL
Piece.
- The Oval-shaped
RUSSET
LEATHER CHAPPE
at the base of the Guard is free of cracking and dry rot!
- The Guard's curved and sculpted
THUMB-REST
is also in perfect condition
SCABBARD:
-
ZERO
dents, scrapes, nicks, bends, discoloration, corrosion, or 'pitting' of the
NICKELED STEEL!!
- Both of the
SUSPENSION SLIT-RINGS
are in
PERFECT
condition!
- The
DRAG
at the toe of the Scabbard is also in
PERFECT
condition.
- ZERO
bends, nicks to the
MOUTHPIECE
of the Scabbard!
- The two
SET
SCREW
at the Throat of the Scabbard are still present.
- The Sword
SLIDES
in smoothly without abrasion or scraping.
*****
Prior to Second World War, every graduate of the
U.S. Military Academy
, prior to commissioning, would get measured and fitted at “
THE CADET STORE, WEST POINT, New York”
for sets of “Pinks and Greens,” Riding Breeches, Dress Blues, and select accessories, e.g. Insignia, Caps, Sam Browne Belt, Boots, choosing from various manufacturers…and a
M1902
OFFICER’S SWORD
such as this one.
*****
BLADE LENGTH
(from
MARLOW & WHITE)
The correct length is the blade length that will place the tip of the blade at approximately eye height when an individual carries the sword at the
"Carry Sword"
position (sword drawn, arm at side, and blade in a vertical position pointing up). More correctly then, the correct blade length is a function of the individual's arm length, the individual's neck length, how the individual carries the sword piece, and even the type of sword.
Why is blade length important?
For those intending to mount the sword or saber on a wall and having no intention of executing manual of arms (draw sword, present arms, parade rest, etc.), blade length is not critical.
A
30-inch blade length is the most common length, generally fitting those between 5'8" and 5'11" in height.
For those intending to execute manual of arms, blade length is important. A sword blade that is too long not only looks odd and non-uniform, but also risks knocking off headgear or increases head movement when going to the
"
Carry Sword
"
position.
What sword or saber length do I need?
The best way to size a sword or saber is to hold another sword or saber in the "
Carry Sword"
position to see how the length fits.
Measure from your
eye
to the "
V"
between your thumb and your index finger. Using this measurement, the correct sword length depends on the type of piece: for the
Army
Officer
Saber
, Navy Officer Sword, USMC NCO Sword, USCG Officer Sword - take the above measurement minus 3 inches.
*****
HISTORY OF GEMSCO, Inc. Corporation, Fourth Avenue, New York
GEMSCO
of New York under the
Elkies
family once manufactured a majority of American
Merchant Marine
steamship company cap flags, as well as insignia, and a complete line of military accessories such as this
M1902
OFFICERS SWORD.
GEMSCO
was unique in its provision of insignia to the
AMERICAN-HAWAIIAN STEAMSHIP COMPANY,
the
AMERICAN PRESIDENT LINES,
and the
PANAMA
RAILROAD STEAMSHIP COMPANY
.
The company was established in 1881 and later incorporated as
Gordon
,
Elkies Military Supply Company, Inc.
on 31 July 1934 with the State of New York, and in less than a month’s time re-registered as
GEMSCO
, Inc. on 8 August 1934 – although an abbreviation for the original company’s name, it was implied that it was an abbreviation for the trademark “
General Embroidery & Military Supply Co.,
Inc.” which hid the company’s Eastern European roots.
GEMSCO
was a
one-stop-shop
for all embroidered and metal insignia items. In time, as was a common practice among insignia houses,
GEMSCO
subcontracted
out most of their production. Enamel flags went to
The Reynolds Co.
of East Providence, Rhode Island.
The period of mass cap flag manufacture was relatively short-lived in the United States – they had their heyday from the mid-1930s through the late 1940s. Until the 1930s, enamel work was not common for maritime insignia in the United States, but was widespread throughout the British shipping industry. The 1930s saw a shift in insignia styles, first with the Chapman-run
United States Lines
copying
White Star Line’s
uniform motifs, and then Dollar and Matson. Eventually, most shipping companies had an enamel flag on their employees’ caps – it was almost requisite for doing business as a serious company; along with the stock certificates with a steamship, a house flag, and buttons with said flag. This insignia innovation continued through the Second World War with
GEMSCO
providing the bulk of blue water shipping’s cap flags.
Style and economics brought an end to cap flags. Once an item worn by all, many mariners opted to wear their Government-issue cap eagles over cap flags while others switched to cheaper embroidered cap badges.
GEMSCO
provided the latter first from looms in New York, and then New Jersey. Notable exceptions were I
brantsen
,
American Export
, and
United States Lines
which continued to issue them through the 1950s and 1960s. With the collapse of the
American Merchant Marine
industry in the late 1960s, the market for maritime insignia items was no longer profitable, and their specialized manufacture ceased. In the case of
GEMSCO
, the company realigned its business during the 1970s with
Denmark Military Equipment (D.M.E.)
eventually buying
Reynolds
in the 1980s.