A friend of mine pointed me to an interesting find reported in Polish media last year: wooden rapiers found during excavations in Gdansk. They were found at a place of old latrines, and are extremely well preserved. They really look like practice (or contemporary theater?) swords / rapiers - the hypothesis is that they might have been somehow connected to the so called "New Fechtkunst school", which existed in Gdansk in 1630s. Besides providing fencing classes, it was also organising theater plays etc.
The article does not specify construction details, nor the kind of wood used, but has a nice picture gallery. Enjoy.
Article (in Polish): http://www.dziennikbaltycki.pl/historia/a/gda...,11514487/
Picture gallery: http://www.dziennikbaltycki.pl/historia/g/gda...,21716501/