African sword for I.D. and comment

colin henshaw · 9th April 2009, 03:45 PM

Thank you all for your observations on this sword. A bit more detail on the piece is :-

The guard has a mark as per attached image.
The blade thickness near the hilt is about 1/4 inch (per attached image).
The blade was a bit rusty when I got the sword, and I have cleaned it.
The back of the blade towards the tip is bevelled to an edge for about 7 inches.
The sword feels like a real piece for using, and would be a formidable weapon.

Does any of this help in identification ?

Regards
Colin

Tim Simmons · 9th April 2009, 06:42 PM

Now we see a close up of the guard I am inclined to think that it is an African copy. As suggested earlier East African. I also think as already suggested not Ethiopian but further south. The scabbard has a similar look to West African work but is quite different on close inspection. I think somewhere I have pictures of East African knives with the same type of scabbard. The other thought I have had on this piece is the southern Sudan which borders modern day East African countries.

9th April 2009, 03:45 PM	#1
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,429	Thank you all for your observations on this sword. A bit more detail on the piece is :- The guard has a mark as per attached image. The blade thickness near the hilt is about 1/4 inch (per attached image). The blade was a bit rusty when I got the sword, and I have cleaned it. The back of the blade towards the tip is bevelled to an edge for about 7 inches. The sword feels like a real piece for using, and would be a formidable weapon. Does any of this help in identification ? Regards Colin Attached Images

9th April 2009, 06:42 PM	#2
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,842	Now we see a close up of the guard I am inclined to think that it is an African copy. As suggested earlier East African. I also think as already suggested not Ethiopian but further south. The scabbard has a similar look to West African work but is quite different on close inspection. I think somewhere I have pictures of East African knives with the same type of scabbard. The other thought I have had on this piece is the southern Sudan which borders modern day East African countries.