Antique swords sit at the meeting point of art, technology, and power. The best pieces combine masterful metallurgy with royal or military provenance, which is why they command serious prices at public sale. Imperial Mughal shamshirs set with gems, Napoleonic presentation sabres by Boutet, Japanese masterpieces by smiths such as Masamune or Kotetsu, Ottoman kilijs with jewelled hilts, and early European knightly swords with battlefield histories all appear in this list. Value is driven by more than rarity alone. Documented ownership, workshop attribution, condition, matching mounts and scabbard, and a clean, verifiable trail through collections can add six or seven figures to the hammer price.
This list has been created as a guide only for those with an interest and curiosity.
Scope and sources
- Public auction results only, drawn from major houses and specialist firms.
- Prices are as reported at the time of sale, typically inclusive of buyer’s premium.
- When a sword has multiple well publicised sales, the most authoritative result is used.
How we ranked items
- Priority is given to documented, verifiable prices with clear cataloguing.
- Within the master list, entries are ordered by the reported price and anchored to the original currency and year.
- Closely related variants, such as multiple Viking swords from a single sale, are listed as distinct entries when lots and prices are discrete.
Reading prices with care
Auction totals reflect a moment in time. Exchange rates move, buyer preferences change, and new scholarship can raise or reduce an object’s standing. Provenance is often the decisive factor, especially for imperial or named military pieces. Condition matters as well: original polish on a Japanese blade, undisturbed mounts, or a scabbard that matches the hilt can transform demand.
Collecting, law, and ethics
Always check export permits, arms regulations, and cultural property rules before bidding. Some materials, such as ivory or certain organic scabbard elements, face restrictions. Due diligence on provenance protects both value and reputation. When in doubt, seek specialist opinions and laboratory testing for blade composition, tang signatures, and period mounts.
Check out our article on Antique Sword collecting law
Related terms and quick notes
- Talwar, shamshir, kilij, sabre, broadsword, tachi, katana: distinct families with different blade geometry and mounting traditions.
- Presentation sword: usually an ornate piece awarded for service, often jewelled and inscribed.
- Provenance tiers: royal or imperial ownership, named generals or admirals, documented campaign use, and continuous collection history.
Most valuable swords sold at auction table
| Description | CultureType | Price (native) | AuctionHouse | Location | Year Sold | GBP (est., 2025-09-03 rates) | Source |
| Tipu Sultan’s bedchamber sword (talwar) | Mughal India, talwar | £14,000,000 | Bonhams | 2023 | £14,000,000 | ||
| Imperial jade‑hilted ceremonial sabre of the Qianlong Emperor | Qing China, imperial sabre | €5,918,293 | Osenat | 2007 | £5,030,549 | ||
| Napoleon Bonaparte’s Marengo battle sabre (Boutet) | French First Empire, sabre | €4,663,000 | Giquello at Hôtel Drouot | 2025 | £3,963,550 | ||
| A personal sword of Shah Jahan | Mughal shamshir | $2,655,000 | Christie’s | New York | 2019 | £2,044,350 | Alain Truong (art blog); Christie’s lot page |
| Nizam of Hyderabad’s jewelled ceremonial sword | Hyderabadi/Indian, jewelled sword | $1,935,000 | Christie’s New York | 2019 | £1,489,950 | ||
| Ulysses S. Grant presentation sword (diamond‑set) | United States, presentation sabre | $1,673,000 | Heritage Auctions | 2007 | £1,288,210 | ||
| An important gilt-mounted sword with ruby eyes from Tipu Sultan’s armoury | Indian shamshir (Tipu Sultan) | £1,197,500 | Sotheby’s | London | 2023 | £1,197,500 | Isabelle Imbert blog; Sotheby’s lot page |
| Napoleon Bonaparte’s personal Boutet sabre | French First Empire, sabre | HK$4,660,000 | Sotheby’s Hong Kong | 2006 | £456,680 | ||
| Personal sword of Shah Jahan with gold-damascened tulwar hilt | Mughal India, blade Europe c.1600; mounts India, 17th c. | £446,100 | Sotheby’s London | 2007 | £446,100 | Personal sword of Emperor Shah Jahan; inscribed with royal parasol | |
| Japanese Katana (Masamune attributed) | Japanese | £418,000 | Christie’s | 1992 | £418,000 | ||
| Admiral Lord Nelson’s French officer’s sabre (from the Alexander Davison Collection) | British naval officer’s sabre | $541,720 | Sotheby’s | London | 2002 | £417,124 | TheRichest summary; Sotheby’s catalogue (collection) |
| Admiral Horatio Nelson’s French First Empire officer’s sword (bequeathed to Alexander Davison) | France, early 19th c. | $518,400 | Sotheby’s London | 2002 | £399,168 | From the Alexander Davison Collection of Nelsoniana | |
| Admiral Lord Nelson’s dress sword | British | $518,400 | Sotheby’s | New York | 2002 | £399,168 | New Haven Register; Sotheby’s sale (2002 Nelson auction) |
| Admiral Lord Nelson’s French First Empire officer’s sword (bequeathed to Alexander Davison) | French First Empire, officer’s sword | $518,400 | Sotheby’s London | 2002 | £399,168 | ||
| Major General William Mahone’s presentation sword | United States, presentation sword | £388,375 | Christie’s London | 2013 | £388,375 | ||
| North Italian medieval broadsword from the Mamluk Arsenal in Alexandria (‘Harriet Dean’ type) | Italian broadsword (European; Alexandria Arsenal) | £386,500 | Christie’s | London (South Kensington) | 2015 | £386,500 | Financial Times; Christie’s lot page |
| North Italian medieval broadsword from the Mamluk Arsenal in Alexandria | Italy (Milan?), Oakeshott XVIII, broadsword | £386,500 | Christie’s London | 2015 | £386,500 | ||
| Kamakura-period long sword (tachi/katana) from the Compton Collection | Japan, 13th c. Kamakura | $418,000 | Christie’s New York | 1992 | £321,860 | From the Walter A. Compton Collection; record-setting Japanese sword sale | |
| Katana by Masamune (Compton Collection sale) | Japanese katana | $418,000 | Christie’s | New York | 1992 | £321,860 | UPI; WorldArt.News |
| Major General William Mahone’s presentation sword (Boyle & Gamble) | American presentation sword (Confederate) | $388,375 | Heritage Auctions | Dallas (Gettysburg event) | 2007 | £299,049 | Heritage Auctions press release; Paul Fraser Collectibles |
| Presentation sword of Maj. Gen. William Mahone | American, 19th c. | $388,375 | Heritage Auctions | Gettysburg, PA | 2007 | £299,049 | Heritage press release (June 27, 2007) |
| Japanese Tachi by Bizen Nagamitsu | Japanese | $350,000 | Bonhams | 2015 | £269,500 | ||
| Personal sword with gold-damascened tulwar hilt | Mughal Indian | $275,000 | Christie’s New York | 2019 | £211,750 | ||
| Presentation sword of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (by Tiffany & Co.) | American, 19th c. | $271,000 | Bonhams | New York | 2012 | £208,670 | Bonhams press release (Oct 2012) |
| Presentation sabre (George McClellan) | American | $270,000 | Heritage | 2007 | £207,900 | ||
| Presentation sword (Ambrose Burnside) | American | $250,000 | Heritage | 2007 | £192,500 | ||
| Japanese Katana signed Kotetsu | Japanese | $240,000 | Christie’s | 2016 | £184,800 | ||
| A Nagasone Kotetsu katana (early Edo), signed Nagasone Okisato Nyūdō Kotetsu | Japanese katana | $239,400 | Christie’s | New York | 2022 | £184,338 | Christie’s lot page; Christie’s Asia Week press release (Sept 2022) |
| Nagasone Kotetsu katana (signed Nagasone Okisato Nyūdō Kotetsu) | Japan, early Edo (17th c.) | $239,400 | Christie’s New York | 2022 | £184,338 | Well-documented Kotetsu blade; Asian Art Week | |
| A personal sword of Emperor Aurangzeb | Mughal shamshir | $225,000 | Christie’s | New York | 2019 | £173,250 | Alain Truong (art blog) |
| ‘Diamond’ personal sword with tulwar hilt | Mughal Indian | $225,000 | Christie’s New York | 2019 | £173,250 | ||
| A rare medieval sword from the Mamluk Arsenal at Alexandria | Italian-made medieval broadsword (Alexandria Arsenal provenance) | £163,250 | Bonhams | London | 2012 | £163,250 | Bonhams press release |
| Crusader medieval broadsword (Alexandria inscription) | Italian/European | £163,250 | Bonhams London | 2012 | £163,250 | ||
| Crusader sword captured from the Mamluk arsenal in Alexandria | Medieval European sword | £163,250 | Bonhams | London | 2012 | £163,250 | Bonhams press release; Medievalists.net |
| Late 15th-c. European one-handed sword with Arabic inscription (Alexandria Arsenal) | European blade, Mamluk Egypt provenance | £163,250 | Bonhams | London | 2012 | £163,250 | Bonhams press release; ArtDaily |
| Shamshir with jewelled jade hilt | Mughal Indian | £146,500 | Christie’s | 2014 | £146,500 | ||
| Confederate General P. J. Semmes presentation officer’s sword (Faleur à Paris) | American Civil War, c.1861–63 | $176,250 | Rock Island Auction Company | 2022 | £135,712 | Presentation sword to Brig. Gen. Paul Jones Semmes; elaborate silver hilt | |
| Presentation sword of Confederate Gen. Paul J. Semmes (by Ames) | American, 19th c. | $176,250 | Rock Island Auction Company | Rock Island, IL | 2022 | £135,712 | Military Trader (RIAC Dec 2022 results) |
| Gold-encrusted presentation sabre (Joseph Hooker) | American | $150,000 | Heritage | 2008 | £115,500 | ||
| A sword (talwar) with scabbard and associated gem mounts | Indian talwar (Mughal/Princely) | $131,250 | Christie’s | New York | 2019 | £101,062 | Christie’s Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence coverage (Alain Truong) |
| Gem-set and enamelled sword (tulwar) from the armoury of Tipu Sultan | Deccan or South India, first half 18th c. | £100,800 | Christie’s London | 2023 | £100,800 | From Tipu Sultan’s personal armoury; Cornwallis family provenance | |
| Gem-set and enamelled Tipu Sultan sword (tulwar) and scabbard | Mysore, India | £100,800 | Christie’s | London | 2023 | £100,800 | Christie’s lot; Indian Express report |
| Bizen tachi signed Nagamitsu, Kamakura period | £96,500 | Christie’s | 2007 | £96,500 | |||
| A Crusader hand-and-a-half sword, Germany or Italy, mid-14th century | European longsword | £86,500 | Christie’s | London | 2014 | £86,500 | Christie’s lot page |
| Crusader hand-and-a-half sword with Mamluk Arabic inscription | Germany or Italy, mid-14th c. | £86,500 | Christie’s London | 2010 | £86,500 | Linked to Mamluk arsenal inscriptions; Dean/Grancsay provenance | |
| Mughal diamond-inset, gold and enamel tulwar | North India, 18th c. | £85,250 | Christie’s London | 2012 | £85,250 | Gem-set and enamel hilt and mounts | |
| Ottoman Kilij jewelled hilt | Ottoman | £60,000 | Sotheby’s | 2010 | £60,000 | ||
| Tiffany Naval Presentation Sword of Rear Admiral Cadwalader Ringgold, with belt and commendations | American presentation sword | $66,000 | Case Antiques | Knoxville, Tennessee | 2021 | £50,820 | Case Antiques fall 2021 highlights |
| Crusader hand-and-a-half sword | Germany or Italy, mid-14th c. | £39,650 | Christie’s | London | 2010 | £39,650 | Christie’s lot page |
| English bowman’s sword (falchion) | English | £37,500 | Christie’s London | 2013 | £37,500 | ||
| English bowman’s sword (“Wakefield Sword”), circa 1450 | English medieval short sword | £37,500 | Christie’s | London | 2013 | £37,500 | Christie’s lot page; Christie’s press PDF |
| English bowman’s sword (“Wakefield Sword”) | England, c.1450 | £37,500 | Christie’s | London | 2013 | £37,500 | Christie’s lot page |
| Very rare English bowman’s sword (“Wakefield Sword”), c.1450 | £37,500 | Christie’s (London) | 2013 | £37,500 | |||
| Viking sword (river find, Switzerland) | Viking/Medieval Europe | £30,000 | Bonhams London | 2012 | £30,000 | ||
| Viking sword with scabbard (Wales) | Scandinavia, 10th c. | £30,000 | Bonhams | Oxford | 2013 | £30,000 | Bonhams press release |
| Caucasian St George shashka | Russian/Caucasian | £27,500 | Christie’s Online | 2020 | £27,500 | ||
| Viking sword from Fellows family descent | Scandinavia, Viking Age | £27,500 | Bonhams | Oxford | 2013 | £27,500 | Bonhams press release |
| An Ottoman coral‑inset sword (kilij), Black Sea coast, probably Trabzon, 19th century | Ottoman kilij | £26,250 | Christie’s | London | 2017 | £26,250 | Christie’s lot page |
| Ottoman coral‑inset sword (kilij), Black Sea coast, 19th c. | £26,250 | Christie’s (London) | 2017 | £26,250 | |||
| Caucasian silver and niello shashka, Russia, c.1916 | £25,000 | Christie’s | 2018 | £25,000 | |||
| Caucasian silver and niello shashka | Russian/Caucasian | £25,000 | Christie’s London | 2018 | £25,000 | ||
| Cossack officer’s shashka, pattern 1910, c.1914 | £24,500 | Christie’s | 2007 | £24,500 | |||
| Medieval sword, second half 12th / first half 13th c. | £23,750 | Christie’s | 2008 | £23,750 | |||
| Ottoman coral‑inset sword (kilij), Black Sea coast, 19th c. | £22,500 | Christie’s (London) | 2019 | £22,500 | |||
| Silver and niello shashka | Caucasian | £22,000 | Bonhams | 2016 | £22,000 | ||
| Sword worn by Lt. Gen. Sir G. Cook KCB at Quatre Bras & Waterloo | £18,750 | Bonhams (London, New Bond St.) | 2015 | £18,750 | |||
| ‘Pattern 1803’ British infantry officer’s sword, c.1810 (Clinton family) | £16,250 | Christie’s (South Kensington) | 2015 | £16,250 | |||
| English Civil War mortuary sword | English | £15,000 | Bonhams | 2011 | £15,000 | ||
| Very fine German cruciform sword, early 17th c., blade c.1560 | £15,000 | Christie’s (London) | 2013 | £15,000 | |||
| Viking sword, 10th/11th century | Scandinavia, 10th–11th c. | £14,900 | Christie’s London | 2008 | £14,900 | Excavated condition; conserved | |
| Rare medieval knightly sword | £13,750 | Bonhams | 2018 | £13,750 | |||
| Scottish basket-hilted broadsword | Scottish | £12,000 | Bonhams | 2014 | £12,000 | ||
| Viking sword (River Meuse find, Belgium) | Viking/Medieval Europe | £10,625 | Bonhams London | 2012 | £10,625 | ||
| Medieval broadsword | European | £10,000 | Christie’s London | 2013 | £10,000 | ||
| Royal ormolu‑mounted sword of Prince Adolphus Frederick, c.1805 | £10,000 | Bonhams (London, Knightsbridge) | 2015 | £10,000 | |||
| An Ottoman coral‑inset gilt‑copper mounted sword (kilij), Black Sea coast, Trabzon, 19th c. | Ottoman kilij | £8,750 | Christie’s | London | 2013 | £8,750 | Christie’s lot page |
| Very rare Viking sword, blade with ULFBERHT inscription | £7,250 | Christie’s (London) | 2003 | £7,250 | |||
| Relic European knightly sword, early 15th c. | $8,625 | Christie’s | 1999 | £6,641 | |||
| A Persian watered‑steel sword (shamshir), Iran, circa 18th century | Persian shamshir | £6,000 | Christie’s | London | 2012 | £6,000 | Christie’s lot page |
| Knightly sword, c.1300 | £5,625 | Bonhams (London, Knightsbridge) | 2015 | £5,625 | |||
| Medieval sword, late 13th/early 14th c. | £5,250 | Christie’s (London) | 2003 | £5,250 | |||
| Caucasian shashka, 19th c. | £5,000 | Christie’s | 2011 | £5,000 | |||
| A composite Italian two‑hand sword, mid‑16th century and later | Italian two‑hand sword | £4,750 | Christie’s | London | 2013 | £4,750 | Christie’s lot page |
| Medieval sword, 12th/13th c. | £3,840 | Christie’s | 2008 | £3,840 | |||
| Medieval sword, early 15th c. | £3,250 | Christie’s | 2007 | £3,250 |
