How old is it -- myArmoury.com

Neil Hastings · Posted: Mon 07 Jul, 2008 2:17 am Post subject: How old is it

Hello everyone,i am trying to get a date on this sword i have just got,its a spanish coloda el cid,the seller thinks its 16th or 17 th century but i am not to sure about that,, all i can tell you about it is it looks old, but it is in good nic, and the hilt is made of pewter,i think? i send some photos to yous to look at,i will be very happy if i can get some kind of date,p.s i hope this sword is real one:

Bill Grandy · myArmoury Team

I'm reasonably certain that is a 20th century decorative sword inspired by swords of the 16th century. I have seen many swords that are very similar, if not identical, sold in knick-knack stores.

Ivo Malz · Posted: Mon 07 Jul, 2008 5:46 am Post subject:

Toledo, cheap tourist stuff, most likely cast quillons and pommel. Often labelled the sword of Carlos V oder the sword of ElCid, but in fact based upon a late 16th century mass- produced soldiers' sword.

Regards

Ivo

Doug Lester · Posted: Mon 07 Jul, 2008 7:50 am Post subject:

I would say that the decoration on the hardware is deffinantly cast and not tooled. I would seriously doubt that pewter or any other white metal would be used in the guard, too soft or brittle depending on the alloy used. It is pretty easy to age a blade artificially and techniques for doing so are getting harder to detect all the time. There is too much wrong with this sword for it to be authentic. I'd go for a 20th century wall hanger possibly aged after manufacture. When buying antiques it is best to purchase from a reputable dealer who will give a money back guarantee on the authenticity of the item and then spend the money to have it appraised by a known expert in the field. Occasionally great buys do show up at flee markets and garage sales but that the exception rather than the rule.

G. E. James · Posted: Wed 16 Jul, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject:

Can't really tell from picture, but it looks like it could be a late 19th to early 20th century repro

Stephanie Maks · Posted: Wed 16 Jul, 2008 9:05 pm Post subject:

The finish on the handle, guard, and pommel look to be almost identical to a cheap Toledo reproduction I bought for $40 many years ago. On the one I had, the tang was one long threaded rod, spot-welded to the base of the blade. The pommel unscrews and everything just comes off. It was my first "sword" though so I remember it well.

-Stephanie

Ed Toton · Posted: Thu 17 Jul, 2008 11:23 am Post subject:

It definitely looks very similar to the Toledo wall-hangers, but it's not identical to the ones I'm familiar with. I think everyone's made a really good evaluation so far. But I'll add that it's hard to see the blade geometry in these pictures, but it looks like a flat blade surface with no cross-sectional tapering. Is it just a flat bar for a blade? Is there any sort of engraving or stamped design on the other side of the blade?