Portuguese navigator sword for comments

[fernando]

Oh, i can't believe !!!
Where did your wife find this one ?

[fernando]

So i have it with me and tried to take some decent pictures ... such a hard task for a photo amateur, specially during an ever lasting cloudy sky.
I would conclude this is a type C, from a classification given by the National Navy Museum technical consultant. Although types from B to D are not so easy to distinguish, as their difference resides mostly in forging details, from fair to poor, all such produced for rank and file, type A refers to those made for a different users universe, practically having nothing to do with these humble navigators/soldiers battle swords.
The guard discs having a 35 m/m diameter are indeed sharpened; not razor blade but, reasonably sharp, nothing rejecting that they have in time been sharper. The 81 cms. blade is more to the slim side, but with a rather sturdy and well forged ricasso, 40 m/m wide and 7 m/m thick. The grooves are rather superficial. All in all i would assume it is genuine, potentialy German, with the Christogram IHS in both sides and a two digit mark also in both sides of the ricasso, i guess some kind of lot number. The grip cover wrap looks (looks) original, made with narrow strips of leather.
I am a bit lost at figuring out the use of the counter guard turn ups. One source calls them protection buttons but, protecting from what; i fail to see them as parrying appendixes. Another source says they are to create a space when you lay the sword on the ground, so that makes it easy to instantly pick it up when in an eminent atack; i don't know if i swallow such hypothesis, either. I ought to have this riddle cracked.
This sword has 9a cms. total length and weighs 803 grams.
Anyone care to comment ?


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[Philip]

Parabens, amigo! Uma excelente acquisição!

Filipe

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Philip

Parabens, amigo! Uma excelente acquisição!...

Obrigado, Filipe

[kronckew]

Sharpened guard disks, usage?

How about the 'Mordstreich' - Murder Strike? The disks make it a nice double axe. Punching would be effective too.

I've seen Italian falchions with the upturn on the finger guard, not being symmetrical, the turn-up was on the right. On mine, it (experimentally) did not increase the ease of picking up the sword whichever side it was on. Didn't try it with a gauntlet tho. It did seem to offer a bit more protection to the second joint on my finger in a parry.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by kronckew

... It did seem to offer a bit more protection to the second joint on my finger in a parry.

I take it that there must be a more "convincing" explanation. In some cases these buttons existed in both hilt sides.


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[shayde78]

Please have your wives call mine to advise her where to shop for my presents!!

[Cerjak]

Originally Posted by fernando

So i have it with me and tried to take some decent pictures ... such a hard task for a photo amateur, specially during an ever lasting cloudy sky.

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Congratulations Fernando ,The pictures are much more better ! Interesting sword and very special hilt a bit crudely made.
best

Jean-Luc

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Cerjak

Congratulations Fernando ,The pictures are much more better ! Interesting sword and very special hilt a bit crudely made.
best ...

Merci Jean-Luc,
Indeed these were battle swords for low rank soldiers, and forged en masse in both homeland and colonial arsenals to cover for large needs in the period; there are versions even more crude... but still the genuine stuff.


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