Tony Murland of Tool Shop Auctions believes it to be in superb condition and with a good provenance. With its original wooden handle and decorative iron frame, he described it as "one of the best amputation saws to appear on the market in recent years." It comes with an estimate of £8000-12,000.
The saw is impressed with the 'H' mark of Hobbs, who was active in London between 1606 and 1621. His instruments are believed to be the earliest extant English maker-marked surgical instruments. These were the type of saws used by members of the Barber-Surgeons' Company and a very similar example is illustrated in the 1639 reprint of John Woodall's medical textbook The Surgeon's Mate.
This particular saw was bought by an American serviceman during the war and ended up in a private collection in Massachusetts.
