Italy, Kingdom. A Royal Air Force Officer's Sword, c.1942

(Regia Aeronautica Italiana). Sword incorporates a magnetic steel blade, with dull edges and having a very sharp tip, with the fuller running half the length of the sword on both sides, the blade featuring nicely etched icons including that of an aircraft surmounted by the Royal crown on the obverse and the Kingdom of Italy coat-of-arms on the reverse, interlaced with other icons along with ornate floral-like swirls and leafing and is marked with a "2" on the reverse ricasso. The blade exhibits surface wear, along with scratches overall, common to extraction and return to the scabbard, measuring 760 mm in length, with a black leather washer at its base and is firm in the hilt. The handle and crossguard are in brass, the latter designed with a motif of feathers forming an eagle's wing that covers the entire top of the crossguard and has a miniature propeller inserted on one side parallel to the blade. The grip is in wood and painted black, wrapped in twelve rows of copper wire, each row composed of three strands, with a central strand of twisted wire flanked by a thin strand on either side, the strands intact, however a few have shifted slightly. Between the blade and the grip is a brass band displaying seven rows of fine dimpling around its circumference. The handle is finished in brass and illustrates a motif of eagle feathers along its entire length, with excellent detailing in the feathering, and is finished with a crowned eagle's head pommel, designed so that the end of the crossguard terminates in the eagle's mouth, the sword measuring 905 mm in length. The accompanying scabbard with a black patent leather wrapped body, brass chape, central band and locket, each of which incorporates various floral-like designs. The central band is decorated with propellers on both sides, the chape finished in a snub-nosed style and bearing the Italian Royal Air Force insignia on the obverse, while the central band and the locket each have a single suspension ring affixed, the throat with a brass insert, the scabbard measuring 780 mm in length and exhibiting scattered discolouration and light contact on the brass fixtures. Better than very fine.