That is a beautiful example of the type. Far les common than you might think. The scabbard bands & pomell are very nicely detailed. Good catch Tom! Who wants to hear a collector yarn? Nobody, but here goes anyway.

Firt army & only second dagger I ever bought was one of these. Got it from the classified ads on this forum way back before there was a `for sale forum`. Knew nothing much then and didn`t realise what a stroke of luck I`d had for a long time. Happy days before the dealers humped the prices beyond true value.

War is when your government tells you who the enemy is.
Revolution is when you figure it out for yourself.