Nimcha Questions

[Rick]

I've always wanted to add one to my collection ; and now I have .
This one has been around the block but seems pretty darn old .

I've got a couple of questions about it that maybe the membership can answer for me .

The sword is 40 1/4" oa.
The blade is 33 1/2"
False edge is 9 1/2"
Width of blade 1 5/8"
Thickness at spine 3/16"
There is a wide shallow fuller the entire length and the narrow fuller that is obvious in the pics .
This is a big , heavy sword , the hilt is Rhino .
An obvious repair is present .
I have read that these swords were trade blades from Europe .

Now for the questions :
What style and era is this type of blade ?
Can anyone identify the maker's mark ?
I have a suspicion that the blade may be 18thc. or earlier .
Can anyone confirm or deny this ?

Have at it !

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hi Rick,

Congratulation with your new sword. Unfortunately I am not the best one to ask for comments - but Jim, or others should be able to help you.

Jens

[Rick]

I posted a link at MyArmory and Sean Flynt , kind gentleman that he is , offered the opinion that the blade is an English or European Backsword blade from the 18th or possibly 17th century .
My thanks to the gang over there , and thank you Sean .

This sword is huge by my standards .
The hilt was made for quite a large hand .
One would need a very strong arm to wield it with any success .
Another observartion I have is that the Rhino horn is quite splintery when cut along the grain .

[tom hyle]

Nice. Moorocan type. Second time I've seen one of these nailed down band repairs on the pommel. The angle of the knucklebow seems unusually tight and unusual in having that little projection; I seem to be able to see a line? A joint? In the closeup of the lagnet, is that by any chance a flat round "slug"/shim of brass or other relatively soft metal inserted between the metal of guard and blade?

[Rick]

Yes Tom, it is a joint , and yes , there is some kind of shim in the area between the langet and blade .
What I find most exciting about this sword is that the blade could well date back to Cromwell's time and the English civil war .

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Rick,
I very much agree that this is probably an English backsword blade that may date back to late 17th century. The patination and deteriorated stamp in the blade seem to correspond to blades of that period I have seen. Actually I have seen a very similar stamp in about the same condition on a Cromwellian period blade.It is not at all unusual that these swords often carried straight European blades, especially English. Anthony North in his "Islamic Arms" (Victoria& Albert, 1985, p.28) notes in caption of illustration of portrait of an English officer c.1617 , "...the captain of a Trained Band is shown wearing a typical Moroccan sword and holding a staff of office. These swords with thier distinctive hilts seem to have been fashionable in the 17th century in England, as they are shown in portraits of the period".

It would seem that while these swords had a degree of popularity in England in those times, at the same time the English blades had similar popularity with the Moroccans in thier sa'ifs (nimchas). I have found English backsword blades of even latter 18th century mounted in Moroccan swords with variant shellguard hilts, so this seems a long standing practice. With the position of the stamp on your blade and the distinct back fuller I would suspect this blade is probably end of 17th to early 18th century by its appearance.
While the blade seems quite old as noted, the mounts seem of course much more recent, which is not at all unusual as it is well established that most swords of these forms were often refurbished over many working lives.

Nice example with a outstanding blade!!

Best regards,
Jim