@ Chris:
I'm getting goosebumps thinking of some "professional" sharpening an old weapon...
... kind of raping....
Having two older beauties which were ground down to get a sharp point, my heart is breaking every time I see them
One is a "training weapon" for duels with a Klingenthal blade (around 1895), with the guard of o duelling weapon which used to have a flattened tip.
Nevertheless a wonderful piece, but... not original any more...
The sharping was done quite professional, I just found out when I checked the length of the weapon and compared it with other weapons.
I've attached two pics.
Coming back to the foil: perhaps the grooves on the grip were made to provide a grip for some kind of leather-wire binding
this would keep the wire in it's place.
All the best
William