Weapons enthusiast

If there is anything that I’m good at, its loving swords and hating people.

[armthearmour]

A thoroughly fullered Storta,

OaL: 29.8 in/75.7 cm

Weight: 3 lbs/1360 g

Italy, ca. 1565-1570, housed at the Real Armería, Madrid.

[petalsinfall]

flintlock rifle with a twisted barrel and heart shaped bore (1765)

[rockyp77mk3]

Art Deco engraved Colt 1903. .32 ACP.

[uboga]

Curved dagger (khanjar) with rock crystal hilt. India, 18th century

[armthearmour]

A unique black and gilt Dagger studded with emeralds,

OaL: 15.1 in/38.3 cm

France, ca. 1600, housed at the Kunsthistorischesmuseum, Vienna.

[armthearmour]

A Sabre with a gilt bronze hilt made for Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria,

OaL: 39.6 in/100.6 cm

Weight: 3.5 lbs/1.6 kg

Netherlands, ca. 1560, housed at the Kunsthistorischesmuseum, Vienna.

[armthearmour]

A stunning blued, silvered, and gilt Storta made for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II,

OaL: 39.8 in/101 cm

Weight: 2.8 lbs/1.25 kg

Italy, ca. 1545-1575, housed at the Kunsthistorischesmuseum, Vienna.

[twippyfan-deactivated20181016]

Ivory and Pearl gripped pistols. Heavily engraved. Luger, Mauser, Colt

[peashooter85]

Pearl inlaid English or American bowie knife, mid 19th century.

from Helios Auctions

[viktor-sbor]

Masonic dagger, 17th century, Italy. Thin, straight blade of lozenge section, the base chiselled with foliage; quillon shaped as bones, a skull above, the pommel chiselled with masonic symbols ; grip covered with iron wire binding and moor’s heads. Lenght 26 cm

[victoriansword]

European Sword Cane / Sword Stick, 19th Century

A 19th century, possibly Masonic, sword stick. Featuring a blackened brass or bronze skull head and four-sided hollow-ground dagger blade of 16 ½ inches (42cm). Stick carved to represent bamboo.

[art-of-swords-deactivated201705]

Yatagan Sword and Scabbard

Dated: 19th century; circa 1830 (blade)

Culture: Ottoman

Medium: iron or steel, gold and silver, embossed and chased

Measurements: blade length 55.2 cm

Source: Copyright © 2015 The Wallace Collection

[carpethedamndiem]

Wavy-bladed, jade-hilted Khanjarli with silver inlaid floral patterns (India, ca. 19th century)

[blue-and-gilt]

Late 18th Century European smallsword with a chased and pierced steel hilt. The guard is a symmetrical in the 'Pas d'ane' style and decorated with military trophies indicating that this might have belonged to a military officer. The grip is square and bound with alternating copper ribbon and twisted wire. Originally this would most likely been silver plated. 

The hollow ground trefoil blade is by Johann and Clemens Boegel of Solingen and maked with their I.C.B trademark and other motifs typical of the time. 

The term 'Pas d'ane' comes from French and translates as 'donkey's foot' after the shape of the donkey sole. Commentators on smallswords often misidentify the small loops between the guard and the knucklebow and quillon as the 'pas d'ane' when the correct term for them is annulets. 

On Western European smallswords the annulets are a decorative hang over from earlier fencing styles when they were larger to allow the fencers' finger over the crossguard.

[blue-and-gilt]

Planning for another show. This time the Auckland Blade and Knife Show, held in the Ellerslie Events Centre on the weekend of 23rd and 24th September. While primarily focused on artisans (blade makers) and suppliers, I approached the organisers and asked if there was interest in a display of antique swords. Since the idea appealed to them, I’ve booked a table and now have to decide what to show. The easy option would be to reuse my 1796 Pattern swords display.

I will be using the same display boards and was also considering a 17th -18th Century theme of smallswords and broadswords.

But others have suggested that sabres would be of interest. But which sabres?

An assortment from the collection, including French, British and Dutch:

Or should I just limit them to just British ones so that people can see the variations within the patterns:

What does everyone’s think?

[peashooter85]

Zaghnal from Gujarat, India, 19th century

from Helios Auctions

[asteroidtroglodyte]

Move aside swagless boutta get a new Wizard’s Staff that comes loaded with spells like “open locked doors” and “dismantle car”