Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

An interesting Royal Naval officer’s smallsword, circa 1800, the undecorated 79cm blade of flattened oval section, copper-gilt hilt mounts with engraved foliate borders, the knuckle bow with loose ring for a sword-knot, urn pommel and disc guard the latter struck with maker’s mark FT, for Francis Thurkle, reeded ivory grip inset with oval cartouche engraved with crowned anchor and PVO, gilding polished overall otherwise good condition £300-350

Francis Thurkle, of 15, Great New Street, Shoe Lane, London, 1791-1801, during which period he marked his products thus.

It has been suggested that PVO stands for Portsmouth or Port Victualling Officer. See attached letter from National Maritime Museum and Morris ‘The Royal Naval Dockyards during the Revolutionary & Napoleonic Wars’.