Posts: 420 Location: NY, NY
Sat 13 Dec, 2008 4:27 pm
Welcome to myArmoury, Paul.
In my opinion these are a pair of basic non-functional replicas, loosely resembling Chinese dao (although the intent may have been to model them after European falchions, especially with their riveted scale grips). Renaissance faires are not especially reliable sources of real swords; most items sold there are ahistorical and/or nonfunctional.
I base the above opinion not just on the context in which they were bought but also on the photos you have uploaded. From what I can see the swords don't appear to be of particularly high quality or even a distinctive type. Those aren't the clearest photos, however, so you
may want to take a look at our
Photography Guide to eke a bit more detail from your shots. I doubt that clearer photos will change my own opinion in this case, but they certainly couldn't hurt. Also, the weights of your swords, along with more precise length measurements, may help us definitively answer your question.
I'm not trying to be discouraging, just realistic. I welcome any other forum members' opinions, and I hope that you stick around Paul and get to know more about this wonderful field of study. If your father's swords are indeed no more than ren faire "SLO"s ("sword-like objects"), don't let that impact the sentimental value they hold for you. :)
Cheers,
-Gabriel L.