Hello all.
I am searching for an expert opinion on this sword. Is it what one would call a rapier? Where was it from? Does it look authentic?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. It is 44 inches long.[/img]

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hilt 1

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hilt 2

First of all, I'm not an expert, but as no one else has replied yet i thought I'd give my two cents.

The whole rapier thing is debatable, I'd call it a rapier, others may not.

As far as authenticity goes, I can't really say, nothing stands out to me as obviously modern, but it is does appear to be in excellent condition for an original. A close up of the stamp on the ricasso might help.

As far as where it's from goes, again, I can't really say, but it does look like a lot of Germanic rapiers I've seen.


Hope that helps!

I would call it a Feldrapier - literally "Field-rapier" - which is a term I have only seen to describe reproductions, so I have no idea how widespread it is, but anyway, it's sort of a transitional weapon between the medieval sword and the rapier. A sort of battlefield Rapier, if you want.

And according to Wikipedia the thing I mean is called Spada da lato, as the name suggests it's an Italian weapon, though that can only be a clue in the origin of this blade and in no way proves anything.

I just found a thread on Sword Forum International from several years ago with pictures of an identical sword. It does appear to be a replica.

Thanks for the help.
-Dave

i have no idea about if its real or fake and what type of sword it is but it looks like a nothern italian weapon maybe milano or venezia from anywere between 1500-1700 im not an expert, but i went to italy about 4 months ago and saw a sword like that in venice and it was labeled "milano rapier" not sure why it was in venice but... thats all i know on the subject

The rapier seems to have the turk's knots and handle you see on Vladimir Cervenka's work. Vlad also '' ages'' his blades at the clients request, so it could be one of his.

As soon as I saw this my instant reaction was "Cervenka". As Jean-Carle says, the way the wirework is done on the grip is practically identical to a Cervenka rapier, as is the blade profile.

However, the touchmark is not at all the same - on mine this is a monogram within a square. That proves nothing, as swordsmiths may have a number of touchmarks over a career.

Either way, you have a beautiful, desirable and well-made rapier, equal to any original, in my opinion (unfortunately not in value....).

Julian

You could give us a better shot of makers mark, that would help... ;)