I can not find anything about this sword. If anyone can help please do! im trying to learn about its history ive had it for years and know nothing about it [/img]

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It looks a lot like one of the Toledo wallhangers of which I have seen so many. They really are not bad swords, better than most of the swords that were manufactured during the "sword dark ages" that came between "the good old days" and the "sword rennaissance" when spathophiles were blessed with Tinker, AT, Albion and all the other fantastic makers who have blossomed in the last decade or so. IIRC, most of these good Toledo swords were manufactured from the 50's into the 70's. Somewhere on this site there is a thread about swords like yours, but as it is titled something like "what is this sword" it is probably impossible to find with the search funtion.

I have to agree that the sword is most likely a Toledo. I have a sword that looks nearly identical from my early days of collecting swords. It was called an El Cid and has a stainless steel blade.

If it wasn't for the sofa / chair pictured for scale, I'd think it was a letter opener.

But then letter openers probably stimulated my interest in collecting swords, so there we are.

Jon

Hi,

To answer your question that particular sword style is nominally Spanish. However Byzantines and Muslim Arabs used very similar hilts. Who influenced who is uncertain, because all three cultures started using the hilt style concurrently.

One famous example of a sword like yours is known as the sword of El Cid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Espada_Tizona.jpg

Like the Charlemagne swords, its provenance is disputed.

It is quite famous, and it is likely the sword yours has been styled after.

It is a beautiful hilt style, one I'm not familiar with the proper use of, as Spanish swordsmanship is not yet part of my skill set.

The actual sword you have is probably from Toledo, or somewhere in Spain. Toledo is a famous source of iron ore and swords throughout Europe and the Islamic world also.

Often Toledo swords are of excellent quality. Treat it well, give is a clean with methylated spirits, and then wipe it with oil once every two months and welcome to the world of sword collecting!

Or, on the other hand, it could be one of the many thousands of Spanish Toledo 'tourist junk' swords mass produced over the last 40-50 years, with a cast zinc-alloy plated hilt and a mild steel blade, that only vaguely resemble extant swords, and turn up regularly on this forum.

On the balance of probabilities, this is more likely. Either way, if it starts you on the path towards learning more about swords and building up a collection, then it has a value as such.

Julian