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SPRINGFIELD ARMORY SABRE RICASSO STAMP – “SA
ORDNANCE BOMB” STAMP USED ON THE BLADES OF THE 1905-1906
EXPERIMENTAL CAVALRY SABRES AND THE MODEL 1913 ENLISTED
CAVALRY SABRES – GUARANTEED ORIGINAL ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT
STAMP WITH PROVENANCE – VERY HISTORICAL ONE-OF-A-KIND
ARTIFACT: One of very few historic pieces that
survived the closing of the National Armory in
Springfield, Massachusetts, this Ordnance Department
Sabre Blade Stamp was recovered from the refuse pile
where so many of the patterns, gauges, and tools were
discarded without any consideration of their historical
significance.
When the US Army closed the armory and the property was
transferred to the city of Springfield, the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts and the National Park Service, none of
those entities expressed any interest in preserving the
material culture of the armory, and the bulk of those
pieces were perfunctorily consigned to a scrap heap
destined for destruction. This episode was nothing less
than a “perfect storm”, occurring during an era of our
nation’s history when the military was regarded with
distain, and in a location situated in the epicenter of
one of our country’s greatest concentrations of anti-gun
sentiment. Little, if any, thought was given to
preserving intact the most significant keystone in the
history of America’s firearm production, and the
cavalier manner in which these artifacts were treated
leaves little doubt about the attitude held by the
people involved towards firearms and our military
history. This shortsightedness represented a genuine
loss to the community of scholars and collectors, and
was nothing short of a crying shame, but it was done
nonetheless.
Fortunately, a
very few pieces survived due to the awareness of the
last Captain of Ordnance stationed at the Springfield
Armory, R. Stephen Dorsey. Obtained directly from his
collection, this stamp, featuring the letters “SA” for
Springfield Armory, and the Ordnance Department Flaming
Bomb, was applied to
the obverse ricasso of the blades
on the 1905-1905 Experimental Sabres and the Model 1913
Enlisted Cavalry Sabres produced at the Springfield
Armory.
Measuring 3 ¼”
long and ¾” square, a mortise in one of the side flats
indicates the stamp was designed to fit into a press
used to impress the stamp into the blade. The face of
the stamp, in addition to the “SA” and Ordnance Bomb,
bears evidence of what was a date originally integral to
the stamp, but which was ground off in order that the
stamp could be used in production beyond that first
year. The characters on the face of the stamp are in
excellent condition, showing no disfiguring, and the
body of the stamp is in likewise excellent condition
with sharp edges and clean surfaces. Most importantly,
this stamp is accompanied by a letter of provenance
written by Mr. Dorsey on Springfield Armory letterhead
detailing his acquisition of the stamp, as well as two
pages of photographs of the stamp which have been signed
by Mr. Dorsey in order to firmly establish the link
between his letter and this particular stamp.
This is a rare
offering of a unique piece of Springfield Armory
memorabilia, and one that will be a crown jewel in any
collection of Springfield swords and sabres. The
importance of this stamp rises well above the
association with a particular era or model of edged
weapon, and will be appropriate displayed with
Springfield arms from any period of the National
Armory’s history. (0811) $650
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