There you go Carl...Looks good to me...


Don, I'll buy that sword if it's for sale!!

Brad

Thanks Chad! Thats the one.

Thanks for the offer Brad. You will be the first to know when (or if) I offer it for sale. I just cant seem to remove my grip from it yet :D .

Perfect, and beautiful! Awesome sword Don! When does it date from? You bought it from an armoury?

As for my sword, I just picked it up today, and I must say, after seing it a second time, I am convinced it is 100% genuine.

The sword weighs just 1.9 lbs, and it has a 37 inch blade and is about 42 inches overall. If it is Victorian, I am utterly baffled and fooled, and would never buy another antique older than 18th century again!

This sword is also very well balanced and responsive.

I heard someone on an other forum refer to the side ring as a "thumb guard". I was under the strict impression that the ring protected the outside of the hand, not the thumb.

Where was the auction? Ebay? Or some other random auction site? I can't seem to find any old antique swords up for auction. Can anyone suggest some sites?

Nice sword btw. I am very jealous, its a beautiful piece.

That sword is from about 1550 A.D. and is originally from the Graz Armoury. I purchased it from an old Cleveland collection, this was one of the lesser swords offered for sale. Needless to say, I couldn't afford the others.

As for your sword I would say you have nothing to worry about. The weight and length sound right and it looks good to me. The outer ring is not a "thumb ring". This was meant to protect the outside of the hand, some think its a step in the evolution of the complex guard but I'm not sure. I've always appreciated this style of sword and its one you dont see too often. Enjoy your purchase!

Thanks, Don. That's what I thought about the side ring. I thought I was going crazy.

Someone suggested it could be a late estoc, but I thought estocs primarily had triagular or diamond cross-sectioned blades.

Yes, the sword was up for auction on ebay. I was lucky enough to win it.

I am still curious about the armorers mark on the blade. As someone else pointed out, it is called the "marca a mosco" or "Fly Mark", and was seen on some Italian swords in the 16th century. I would guess that my sword dates from about 1550 to 1600.

I am also baffled by the star and crescent moon mark on the pommel. There was speculation by someone that this could be the mark of he Venetian arsenal, but I would like to know more.

Any thoughts?