Hi


(just me again, with my silly questions ;) )

Could anyone lead me to sources for maker's marks on XVth century halberds ?

Thanks

Fab

This is from the wallace collection catalogue:

A951 is from a XVI or ealy AV c. Swiss Halberd.
A952 is from a late XVth c. -early XVIth c. German halberd
A966 is from early 17th c. german halberd
A968 is from early 17th c. german halberd

The rest are from various other pole arms (glaives, spears, bills, etc.)

I hope that helps.

Alexi

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The actual weapons

Good luck, Fabrice! This is a most neglected field of study, though many of us are hoping to fill in the gaps with good data. Be sure to let us know if you find anything! For everyone, here are some essential titles for students of polearms:

The Halberd and Other European Polearms, 1300-1650 (Historical arms series)
by George A Snook

European and American Arms
Claude Blair

Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.
Diagram Group
St. Martin's Press, 1991

European Weapons & Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution
Ewart Oakeshott
Boydell Press, 2000

The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe
Sydney Anglo

English Martial Arts
Terry Brown

And, if you're interested in late polearms, add...
Swords and Blades of the American Revolution
George C. Neumann
Scurlock Publishing Co., 1995

Thnaks Sean

I have, or have access to, most of these books.

The first you mentionned alas contains scarce information - still an interesting book though (compared to the litterary desert surrounding polearms).

I'll try and contact Swiss puseum curators. They must know a bit on the subject.

Thanks again

Fab

Yes, the Snook book is very slim, really just a primer on the subject. As you say, there just isn't much out there. There is no single, definitive work on the subject, as far as I know.

I forgot to mention this book:

http://store.yahoo.com/doverpublications/0486407268.html

It's dated, but helps fill in some gaps, especially as far as the slippery terminology is concerned. It helped me understand the glaive a bit better.