I am a long-time collector of edged weapons, having begun in the 1960's when the current question of reproduction vs. originals was not really much of an issue.  The usual fraud involved taking a genuine  Union-made sword and putting on enough fake inscriptions to pass it off as "Confederate"; or worse, "enhancing" an original Confederate-made sword with spurious etching and engraving.  This ploy is well-enough known, along with the proliferation of  modern reproductions, that I don't wish to discuss these admitted issues among collectors.  Instead, I'd like to address a problem I've noticed with just a cursory scanning of eBay's selection on "Civil War Swords". 

     I would strongly caution anyone considering bidding on Civil War era edged weapons to at least familiarize themselves with those of 1800's Europe, particularly France.  I have seen several perfectly regulation and correct swords offered; only one problem - they're French!  The only regulation Civil War-era U.S. sword not copied from a European original is that pattern for paymasters and surgeons.  All others, whether infantry, cavalry, or artillery; officer or enlisted, are copied from mainly French prototypes.  Of course, both the Union and the Confederacy imported large numbers of foriegn weaponry for their war effort.  However, these tended to be from dealers and contractors rather than from foriegn governments.  These contractors tended to offer good copies of the U.S. regulation models; which, though patterned after the French, still differed from them in details like insignia.  What I'm seeing are totally regulation French military pieces, complete with French insignia ( also an eagle, but different! ), French military inspectors' marks, and French-style blades and scabbard mountings. 

      The greatest source of information on the regulation swords of France is the massive set of plates produced in the 1960's & 70's,  Armes Blanches Militaires Francaises, by Christian Aries.  For regulation U. S. models, see Harold Peterson's The American Sword, 1775 - 1945.  The single best source for the Confederacy is William A. Albaugh III's A Photographic Supplement of Confederate Swords.  They may be difficult to find, but are indispensible references for the collector of edged weapons of the 19th Century.

     We live in an age now of instant communication and a great blurring of international boundaries.  One may ask why an obvious 19th century French sword would exist today in America; I can only answer that I am right now sitting beneath two dozen of them, dating 1780-1870. 

     And none of them were used in our Civil War!