American Civil War Foot Officer Sword by Collins & Co

Civil war foot officer sword by Collins and Co. Hartford Co. Dated 1862, so a nice early date. Blade is engraved with floral pattern, a large "US", an eagle with a ribbon in its beak and arrows in its claw, and various flags, drums, shields and polearms. Handle is a beauty with nicely patinated brass with a fair amount of gilt left and no wobble when twisted. Perfect wire wrap over undamaged fish skin grip. Fish skin has about a 1mm gap on the seam due to shrinkage over the years (just as you would hope to see). Screw on the pommel shows no evidence of being buggered. Scabbard has one minor dent and shows its age, but not too bad. There is no scabbard throat but I don't think there ever was one as there is no screw and I have seen Collins swords before with no throat. The top ring is missing about a one inch section (see photo), thus causing it to wiggle a little when played with. All in all, a nice sword with a very desirable date and that "been there" feel about it.