If you scroll down a bit at the link below they show one with the same figures on the sheath. And while other parts are not the same, it may stand to reason that the age and maker may be. Theirs is made by Ames (no big surprise) and they state that it is from the 1880's: Freemasons For Dummies: December 2008
If you aren't yet aware, the wording of Ames' company name changed over time and can help date these if it is from them.
I inherited one from some long lost uncle or something.
He was for sure a 33 degree Mason.. Have doc on it and him.
The sword I have is similar but much more ornate..Ivory handle,,etched blade with his name, etc.
I will bookmark this thread and take a coupla pics when I get home,,, then upload to share with everyone.
I THINK his name was Theodore Stradley,,, Pittsburgh area,,,
BOTH swords shown are pretty similar, But the one I have looks more like the 2nd one.
33rd degree is the highest PUBLICALLY acknowledged rank,, there are ranks above that if I remember correctly.
The black grip and the knights head on the cross guard mean "Sir Knight" rank and file. The Maltese crosses on the cross guard mean that it's a Grand Commandery sword.
Yours is an Eminent Commanders sword.
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2nd from the left, yours is Knights Templar, Order of the Red Cross, made starting in 1894 by M.C.Lilley.
Kawkasian's sword is unique because it's a Grand Commandery sword, that means State level in the Masonic hierarchy, it's rare to get one. In my photo above, 3rd from the left, is a Sir Knights sword but not Grand Commandery, it's from the Baldwin Commandery in Williamsport, Pa.
Ok everybody, listen up. I WAS WRONG !!!!! After I got home and researched this sword, it turns out that it is a Knights of Tabor sword, the lower scabbard mount bugged me because K-T swords don't usually have a monogram on the scabbard. Knights of Tabor were originally called Knights of Liberty, and were an African-American anti-slavery society founded by Moses Dickson , a Freemason, in 1846. The group later became the Knights of Tabor after the Civil War and founded hospitals and all kinds of other benevolent stuff. The scabbard monogram reads: K o T , not KT. Google the Knights of Tabor or Moses Dickson, really, really, really good reading, a truly amazing man. B.R. This organization was founded by a Freemason, and closely related to Freemasonry, hence the Masonic iconography on the sword. This is a VERY rare sword.
I dunno Bruce. Many of the exact elements can be found on KT swords, right down to their motto... a lot of others did use it as well, but I couldn't find that the KoT did. I don't see Masonic symbols on any of the limited items from them on line.
But, I'd need to see more pictures of this before I go in any particular direction... One could spend a lot of time trying to figure out what may be readily available via additional pictures.
The lower scabbard mount with the stylized KoT monogram appears in the 1882-1889 Ames Sword Co. Catalog # 806, Knights of Tabor . many lodges freely copied and adopted Freemasonry designs and patterns, there are very few that are unique to a particular society. The sword companies also promoted this practice, they simply mix-n-matched the various components that they were already tooled up for. Dickson was an Eminent Commander in the Mason's, so it's not surprising that he would adopt Masonic iconography in setting up his own organization. Also,the only Masonic swords I've been able to research with the organizations monogram on the scabbard has been KM- Knights of Malta , a chivalric order within the York Rite of Royal Arch Freemasonry.