Arts & Entertainment
Historical Swords Up for Auction
Swords made by Portsmouth and Exeter silversmiths to be sold on Thursday at Dover Elks Lodge.
Swords crafted by Portsmouth's Samuel Drowne and Exeter's John Ward Gilman will be auctioned off this week.
Gilman's sword features a silver pommel in the shape of lion’s head. it will be auctioned off Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Dover Elks Lodge.
New Hampshire-based Leo Legare Auction Services is handling the auction, which will also feature a sword made by Drowne, a Portsmouth silversmith. Several other historical items will be auctioned off.
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Gilman was a silversmith in Exeter. He is buried at the Winter Street Cemetery in that town. His family played a crucial role in funding the Revolutionary War and rallying citizens to the colonists' cause. Gilman is credited with creating New Hampshire's state seal. Gilman's sword had been in the care a New England family for several generations, according to the auctioneer.
Drowne also helped solidify support for the Revolution.
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