Rapier hilt and gurda blade?

[swordsmith]

Please delete the pictures as I did not give permission to use them - they are copyrighted and to be featured in a subsequent book. Regarding mentioning that this is a current E-Bay auction, I think that it is obvious which auction site that you are referring to - anybody who is remotely sensible will always look to E-Bay first - there really is no other auction site worth considering. If you had contacted me via E-Bay, I could have discussed the sword with you privately and answered any questions that you had. I would also have been happy to print my answers on this forum. I value my reputation on E-Bay and have spent many years establishing it.