A Spanish rapier Early 17TH century

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... You have also brought up a most salient point which I had completely forgotten, that of taxation, which would be a most inducing reason for makers to seek such a title or honorific. In markings it is most difficult to determine which were indeed makers punzones; which may have been guild marks for compliances ...

There were ordinance, brotherhood, guild ... and marks.
Some ordinance inspectors visited the smith and submitted to him to a number of sword (and accouterment) making operations, against some fees (12 reales), to recognise him as espadero. The brotherhood submitted him to a secret vote, with the practice of 'habas' (small balls), white for yes and black for no. This was a well organized system, with clerks and all, but not well seen by the Crown. The guild was somehow connected to the brotherhood, but subject to Municipality, that cared for smiths protection and industry evolution.
Then there were the marks, made with anagrams of their names and also that of Toledo. There were smiths who opted by only aplying their own anagram, those that used both of their name and that of Toledo and others, feeling fundamentaly Toledan, opted by ony applying the city To symbol. It was the author i am roughly quoting (Esperanza Pedraza Ruiz) who pretended that the crown over the anagram meant the smith was espadero del rey, but i tend to give credit to Dueñas Beraiz in that this had no such meaning.