I've been surprised lately at how many early 16th c. German hand-and-a-half swords, especially those with complex guards, seem to have originally had blackened/blued hilts. We don't see this in many (any?) top-quality reproductions (it's an option for all A&A swords, but I don't think I've seen this finish on, say, A&A's German Bastard Sword).

So, my question is this--When we see a bright antique hilt of this kind are we just seeing an alternative contemporary finish, or are we seeing a hilt with it's original finish worn or "cleaned" off? I guess the underlying question is whether the popular modern preference for bright hilts is skewing our idea of an historically appropriate finish for these beautiful weapons. A dark finish obscures fine details, after all, and fine details represent much of the collector's investment.

I have a Windlass Steelcrafts German Bastard Sword on the way, and its hilt is dark, as is the hilt of the original on which this reproduction is based. If the finish turns out to be poorly-done or if I decide to do any work on the steel, I'm wondering if it would be appropriate, historically, to give the hilt a bright (satin) finish. We see this in museums all the time, but would it have been rarer on such arms in the 16th c.?

Sean,
That's a great question, and one I don't think I have an answer for. However, I'd think there were probably more darkened/painted/treated hilts than we think. If we look at period art sources for armour, for example, we see many colored examples, and in art they seem to be far more common than plain steel.

I'd think the same would hold true for weapons to a degree. If nothing else, the surface treatment would be a rust inhibitor.

I'm sure there were plenty of plain steel hilts. But I think there were also probably a good number of treated hilts that either haven't survived or were agressively cleaned to make them bright.