this one showed up in saturday's post, ebay billed as a mexican presentation sword. it's a mexican machete blade etched and tarted up with etchings on both sides, an eagle headed hilt in what may be silver plate over brass, and a snakeskin covered grip. the 'duckbill' blade shape is apparently a machete shape from the acapulco area, the rounded tip extends the life of the blade thru many sharpening cycles...
a flexible blade, nice decorations both sides, the maker's name is "A. Aragon, Oax." on the right side of the ricasso. i gather that referrs to the state of Oaxaca, the state next to Guererro where acapulco is. the right side shows a herd of horses being driven and some palm trees.
there is an inscription on the opposite side, it appears to say (some letters were stylised and worn, harder to see) not sure what it means:
Ni me saco, ni me saca
y aunque guera nolo sigo
al cabo la muerte es flaca
y no ha de poder conmigo
translation (?)
i don't get pull out or it does not take me out
even if he wanted i do not follow
the edge of death is thin
and it won't conquer me.
the decoration on this side is cattle being herded and the trees are not palms as on the other side. there is a saguaro cactus there as well on either side of the inscription.
the hilt has whatever it was dipped in worn in a few spots. the tarnish on it is black. the pommel nut is threaded on to a tang, if you look thru the lanyard hiole you can see the threaded hole, i've not taken it loose. the skin appears to be a fine scaled brown snake skin. the front of the guard is decorated in a line of stamped leaves and has the number '10' stamped on it near the top of the tear-drop shaped opening in the lower guard. neither the guard or the rest of the metal hilt parts are magnetic at all. i think it may be brass under the silvery coating.
the 26 1/4" blade is distal tapered, starting at 0.20 in. (5mm.) at the guard, down to 0.08 in (2mm) 4 in. from the guard, 0.07 in. (1.67mm.) at halfway, and 0.045 in. (1.14mm.) just rear of the tip. blade is 1.5 in. (40mm.) wide at the grip, 2 3/16 in. (55mm.) at the swell. definitely not a stamped sheet steel machete in this one. it appears to be an older good quality machete blade ressurected for this new duty. here is a photo of a similar bladed acapulco style machete (top one)
[ Linked Image ]
in hand shot for scale: