United States. A Tiffany Made United States Military Academy Officers Swagger Stick 1915

Hardwood shaft with a finely polished finish, sterling silver cap and tip, both of which are hallmarked, maker marked "TIFFANY & Co MAKERS" and marked "STERLING", the front of the cap with the United States Military Academy insignia, illustrating an eagle on a pedestal inscribed "U.S.M.A.", backed by downward pointing swords in their scabbards, fronted by a helmet bearing the date "1915", the back of the cap engraved "A.B FROM D.H.G", the cap measuring 15.7 mm in diameter, the tip measuring 6.2 mm in diameter, the swagger stick measuring 622 mm in length overall, with repair evident at the midpoint as the stick has previously broken into two pieces. Fair.

Footnote: The outbreak of America's involvement in the First World War caused a sharp increase in the demand for army officers, and the United States Military Academy accelerated graduation of all four classes then in attendance to meet this requirement, beginning with the early graduation of the First Class on April 20, 1917, the Second Class in August 1917, and both the Third and Fourth Classes just before the Armistice of November 11, 1918, when only freshman cadets remained (those who had entered in the summer of 1918). In all, wartime contingencies and post-war adjustments resulted in ten classes, varying in length of study from two to four years, within a seven-year period before the regular course of study was fully resumed.