Bronze sword -- myArmoury.com

Martin Bareveld · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 12:10 am Post subject: Bronze sword

Hello, i have a bronze sword.
I want to know more about it.
Can not find it.
It is 45cm and 500 grams and there is a writing on it....MHKT

Greatings Martin.

Mark Moore · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 7:06 am Post subject:

Well...I cant say it's a modern casting. You may very well have a well cleaned museum-quality original there! Lucky you!............McM

Matthew Amt · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 7:15 am Post subject:

Welcome!

I'd have to say that's a wacky-looking piece you have there. Never seen anything like it. It *might* be Chinese or oriental in style, but I don't know those areas at all.

Unfortunately, my guess is that it is not ancient at all, but possibly 19th century or later. It seems too heavy for the length, though I can see that the hilt looks solid-cast so that would be where the weight is. Letters like that were not used until *after* the Bronze Age, so either they were added after the sword was made, or the sword was made after real swords were no longer made of bronze. The Iron Age Greeks did make bronze swords and other items to attach to statues, and those letters could be Greek, but this is not a Greek style of sword in any way, Bronze Age or Iron Age.

Sorry about that! It's very interesting and it will look great on the wall, but I don't think it is very old.

Matthew

Martin Bareveld · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 10:15 am Post subject:

Hello again, yes the hilt is solid cast.
And the hilt have whe say here : vijl sporen ( i dont know that in English)
I Know that is not Roman because they dont have the K and not Celtic or Viking or bronze age.

19th century is also very ok.

Is it posible that the sword is Germanic ? (500-1000AD)
I dont know what type of wrighting they had.
I bought the sword from internet and i have it now some years.
They did say it come from Groesbeek (Holland) found with metaldetector but i dont know that is true.

Thanks for answers, Martin

Dan Howard · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 1:20 pm Post subject:

You could only call this a "sword" if you call a letter opener a "knife". It looks like something that would be knocked out for the tourist souvineer market. I can't tell whether it is modern or 19th century but it is no older than that. I'd bet money that it is brass, not bronze.

Matthew Amt · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 1:26 pm Post subject:

Sorry, I should have added, it's not from anywhere in ancient Europe. Like Dan said, it's basically modern. Seeing the grinder marks on the edges of the hilt makes me certain of that. I *could* still have been found with a metal detector after being lost for a number of years! But we're talking decades, not really centuries.

Matthew

Martin Bareveld · Posted: Sat 08 Feb, 2014 3:07 pm Post subject:

Ok, thanks for information.