Marks on a European bladed takouba

[Iain]

I don't post often to the European Armoury, but I had a takouba arrive today that I have been eagerly awaiting.

It is marked in a very unusual way for a takouba and has what is certainly a European blade.

The blade is mounted in a 'sandwich' forte, something that is not common in takouba, but can be seen occasionally with old blades. The hilt is also quite old (well for a takouba ).

My main reason for posting it here are the markings, they are not marks I have seen before on a takouba and therefore not something that I would immediately suspect were applied locally in Africa. They are chiseled which is uncommon for local marks (usually stamped or scratched lightly on the surface).

Secondly, there are the remains of brass inlays in the marks. This is very uncommon for takouba as well. You can see the marks were made with the intention of having inlays as they are grooved to hold it in place.

So mainly I would like to ask those with experience in European blades what they can tell me about the marks and the blade in general. I have tried to show as many angles as possible (keeping in mind the blade has obviously been re profiled during it's life as a takouba).

A couple of measurements:

Blade is a little more than 4.5cm wide at the base (before it meets the forte).

It is roughly 3mm thick.

I will also post this on the ethnographic forum for those interested in some comments more about this sword as a takouba and not just the blade.

[Lee]

Well, this may well be the 'holy grail' of takoubas - an actual recycled European medieval blade!