Is this a legit shashka?

[Alex K]

Many thanks for the informative replies! And Robert, thanks for editing my post so it meets the image posting requirements.

I guess this is one of those caveat emptor cases. Luckily I didn't pay too much for it, and it actually handles fairly decently for whatever it is. Despite its light weight, it doesn't feel 'whippy' and feels like it could cut reasonably well.

I've done some sleuthing around and it looks like this frankentulwar/sabre was auctioned a couple of years ago, except it wasn't sold as a shashka but as an "Old English sword blade, later mounted in stag horn handle". Looks like someone cleaned it up and tried to pass it off as a shashka to overeager folks like myself.

Does the blunt ricasso lend credence to it being a tulwar blade rather than a trade blade? Were European trade blades sharpened all the way down to the hilt? The blade seems a bit too dainty for it to be a tulwar, and most tulwar examples I've seen tend to be quite a bit wider near the tip. Do you guys perhaps have pics of tulwars or sabres with a similar blade shape? Jim, I'm particularly interested in those 18th century German sabre blades you mentioned.


Some stats:

Weight: 600-625g (my scale isn't particularly accurate)
Point of Balance: 20.3cm
Blade Length: 83.7cm
Total length: 98.6cm
Centre of Percussion: (very roughly) 16cm from the tip
Blade width at CoP: 3cm

Width of spine
Base: 7.01mm
1/4: 4.76mm
1/2: 3.72mm
3/4: 1.83
10cm from the tip: 0.95mm