🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Some Kind of short sword?

[Whynotnow?]

I found this in the yard of a house built in 1795. The builder fought as a loyalist in the revolutionary war. In later years, residents also fought for the confederacy. I found this shoved vertically into the ground in the side yard. It’s very short, and rusted into the scabbard. I know nothing about swords and can’t find anything online.

 

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[UnderMiner]

Looks like a bayonet to me. Perhaps you should put it through an electrolysis bath?

 

[RTR]

Might be some info on the blade if you can get it out of the scabbard

 

[Whynotnow?]

Looks like a bayonet to me. Perhaps you should put it through an electrolysis bath?

Yeah i think thats what I will do.

Might be some info on the blade if you can get it out of the scabbard

Hopefully I can get it loosened enough to get it out of there. It's pretty rusty so we'll see.

 

[creskol]

I am not seeing it at all. Metal tube and blade look way too flimsy for either.

 

[villagenut]

A picture of it lying flat, not in your hand would be better

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I'm not seeing anything blade-like or militaristic. The "tang" is too small/thin for anything that needed force.

 

[Retired Sarge]

I could be wrong, but the opening of the tube (throat) looks too big/wide to be a bayonet/sword scabbard. The throat is normally narrow to lock the bayonet in it. See pictures below for an example of what I mean. I pulled two different bayonets off rifles. A Yakatan/Chassepot style from an Egyptian Remington Rolling Block (Pic 4) and a long bayonet from a Yugoslavia M1924 Mauser (Pics 1-3).

Also scabbard are typically flat versus round like we are seeing with item the OP found. Again see example in the attached pictures.

 

[Retired Sarge]

Pulled my USMC M1859 NCO sword (Well actually my sons, that he gave me for my militaria display) out to show how the scabbard opening is and how the blade fits it.

 

[Clay Diggins]

With the short length and the location of the find I would suspect a lightning ground rod.

 

[Retired Sarge]

Here's a dug relic condition sword from the American Civil War, notice how thick the tang still is.

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[GlowingArtist]

Swords do not have hooked ends. Iam suspecting it is to heating/warming drapes or linens in rich manor houses or castles in the 18th-19th Century? Or it opens or closes a damper for a stone fireplace of the same time period.https://www.northlineexpress.com/wrought-iron-damper-pull.html?msclkid=ae129d43fc3b1e9e15b3fe20c9bff6c8




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Wrought Iron Fireplace Damper Pull​

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

With the short length and the location of the find I would suspect a lightning ground rod.

I'm thinking along the same lines as Clay.

 

[Whynotnow?]

I'm thinking along the same lines as Clay.

I've never seen a hollow grounding rod with a curled end. Honestly are you guys even looking at the pic?

Swords do not have hooked ends. Iam suspecting it is to heating/warming drapes or linens in rich manor houses or castles in the 18th-19th Century? Or it opens or closes a damper for a stone fireplace of the same time period.https://www.northlineexpress.com/wrought-iron-damper-pull.html?msclkid=ae129d43fc3b1e9e15b3fe20c9bff6c8




"

Wrought Iron Fireplace Damper Pull​

Swords dont, but the scabbard for a toy sword might. Its not hooked in a way that's meant for pulling on something so I doubt its a fireplace damper.

 

[Whynotnow?]

With the short length and the location of the find I would suspect a lightning ground rod.

If going only by length and location, sure, maybe, but i have never seen a hollow grounding rod that tapers to a curled end. The pictures clearly look nothing like any grounding rod that has ever existed.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I've never seen a hollow grounding rod with a curled end. Honestly are you guys even looking at the pic?

Swords don't, but the scabbard for a toy sword might. Its not hooked in a way that's meant for pulling on something so I doubt its a fireplace damper.

It sounds to me like you've already convinced yourself that this is a sword and no matter what's suggested you're going to discount it.

 

[villagenut]

As already suggested, take a few better pics of the object.we don't need to see anymore pics of your hand

 

[Whynotnow?]

It sounds to me like you've already convinced yourself that this is a sword and no matter what's suggested you're going to discount it.

I’m open to anything. Show me a picture of a grounding rod that looks even remotely similar and I’d accept it. After the comment I looked and found nothing. So I’m just confused where the idea that it’s a grounding rod is coming from.

 

[Whynotnow?]

More pics without my hand.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I’m open to anything. Show me a picture of a grounding rod that looks even remotely similar and I’d accept it. After the comment I looked and found nothing. So I’m just confused where the idea that it’s a grounding rod is coming from.

Lightning grounding rods are made of iron or steel bars with a copper sheath. Any wood frame house built in 1795 would have at least one and usually several lightning rods and ground points.

Today the copper sheath on the iron is just a thick copper electroplate but prior to 1900 the copper sheath was a sheet of copper wrapped around an iron rod.

Often when the rod was pounded into the ground a rock or other obstruction would cause the copper sheath to bend.

Your picture resembles other lightning ground rods I've seen. All we have is a picture to go by. You see a child's sword, I see a ground rod. Without more information all we have is what we see.