What is this???

C

Crazyotter

Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
334
First, hope I'm in the right forum, if not sorry and please move or delete as you see fit.
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Can someone tell me what this is? Can't figure it out for the life of me.

Its well made, full tang (I think), the basket hilt is a single piece of metal, it has a pommel of sorts (a knob of metal at the end), and a single piece of wood hilt. And instead of a blade, it has a triangular 20 and a half inch long piece of metal, with grooves on each of the three sides, before coming to a sharp point. Almost like a old bayonet, but I'm not sure. Could it be a converted one? It does have faint markings carved into the blade right above where the hilt is, but I had to copy it onto a piece of paper to get a photo of it (my camera sucks).

I can't figure out what this is. Could be a childs toy, but it is really sharp... went through layers of cardboard easy... TY in advance!
sword001.jpg

sword002.jpg

sword004.jpg
 
Don't rapiers have sharp edges, and foils round balls welded to the tip? This has no blade but a pointy tip. :?:
 
Ok. Does anyone know anything about the markings then, or the triangular non sharp blade? Would love to know about this. Ty.
 
I'll look that up, (gauche) but I thought were its just a 20 and a half inch blade it was short?
 
I definetly agree with main gauche, I was thinking it was a parrying sword at first but then thought it was to small, so parrying dagger / main gaunche (which I never knew existed till know! :) ) would make sense, along with the triangular blade. But more advice is appreciated.
 
I think it may be a parrying sword., which would be slightly longer than a dagger, and designed to be a companion weapon to a rapier. The triangular blade was excellent for piercing. A well skilled swordsman would learn to have good control of his left hand, and thus could use a longer implement than a dagger as his main-gauche ( pronounced may-goj), which just means "left hand ". This would allow both parrying moves ( blocking the opponent, while attacking with your rapier) as well as offensive thrusts when your rapier blocked a stroke.
 
Take better pictures.

If I had to guess I'd say it was a theatrical sword, built on an epee fencing blade, which someone later sharpened to a point.

Where did you get it?
 
I cannot see any picture for this thread. I'm at work at the moment. But, from your description of a triangular "blade" with a pommel and basket hilt, it sounds like what was called a "Small sword" which was a precursor to the fencing foil. It was a popular side arm in the 17th and 18th centuries. Below is a wiki link with a picture at the top. If you click the highest resolution of this blade you can see a raise blade section which is probably triangular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_sword
 
That's what first came to my mind when reading the original post: Small Sword. Blade seems a bit short, but that could be for any number of reasons: It was a training sword for a younger (smaller) person, it could have been a parrying sword, as previously mentioned, or it could have once been longer and broken/damaged, and sharpened at its shorter length.
 
I've something similar, no clue as where it's from, Asia, Europe who knows, cheaply made but works excellent on sausages on the grill. G..

"before digging, know if you wish dirt, or a hole.." -Old Samurai maxim
 
Stealthchaser, ok, ty. I'll keep that in mind, though I really still believe it to be a parrying dagger (left handed basket hilt design and triangular blade makes me think it is).

Bladesmth, cool, cool. Ty and agreement.

Holyroller, I'll try, espiecally of the markings, as soon as I can. But I think its just to well built to be a theatrical sword, even if its a bit thin. And I found it in the attic of a antique shop for 20 bucks. :shrug:

Ttoney, hmmm. You may have changed my opinion here. I never thought small sword, thinking they had a blade. But if the miltarys did use them, that would explain the crude markings above the basket hilt (earlier I was wondering if it was a modified bayonet due to them, before I ruled it out (full tang so).

Planterz, ok, ty.

And ty galen, I'll have to try it on a camping trip or something.

Boy scout leader: WTH is that?
Me: Marshmellow roasting stick...

(Hidden joke, boy scouts aren't allowed knifes longer than there palm or sheath knifes...).
 
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