Excavated Small Sword For Comment

dana_w · 19th June 2014, 08:22 PM

This Small Sword was part of the collection I inherited from my Father. Most of the excavated items in his collection came from Florida, but I have no real idea where this sword was found. It is in pretty good condition considering it has been in the ground. The grip is missing and the knuckle bow is broken off. The sword seems typical of the French styled small sword that became popular in Europe during the last quarter of the 17th century. They were carried by the officers of many different countries, and were the most popular weapon of the upper class during the 18th century.

Blade length: 23 10/16 inch || 60.007 cm
Blade thickness at forte: 1/4 inch || 0.635 cm
Blade width at forte: 11/16 inch || 1.746 cm
Cup width: 2 10/16 inches at widest point || 6.668 cm
Total length: 29 10/16 inches || 75.247 cm
Point of balance: about 1 3/4 inches from the bottom of the cup || 4.445
Weight: 12 3/8 oz || 0.351 kg

The photos are copyright (c) 2014 by Dana K. Williams. All Rights Are Reserved.

Jim McDougall · 22nd June 2014, 08:22 PM

Thank you for adding this interesting smallsword Dana, we don't see many smallswords these days and they are a fascinating field which is highly specialized. This is also intriguing for the rather unusually intact condition considering its excavated classification, and the circumstances of its deposit would be most interesting.

I would point out that the 'cup' in this case would be in my opinion better termed a bilobate shellguard, and these in variation were well known in Europe from the 17th century and 'Walloons ' as well as other hilt forms which evolved into these smallswords by the 18th century.

It would be difficult to determine without markings or intact grip and decoration specifically which country this might be from, as the style as well as often even components were widely diffused. It would seem to be of probably mid 18th century as a speculative benchmark. Naturally, the provenance would be helpful as well, naturally with consideration for noted circumstances of discovery gauged accordingly .

dana_w · 23rd June 2014, 01:41 AM

As always Jim, thanks for your insightful comments.

Interesting that you should mention the Walloons. The Huguenots played a large roll in the founding of Florida in 1562 and 1565. There were also a lot of French in what became British West Florida after the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

19th June 2014, 08:22 PM	#1
dana_w Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Southeast Florida, USA Posts: 429	Excavated Small Sword For Comment This Small Sword was part of the collection I inherited from my Father. Most of the excavated items in his collection came from Florida, but I have no real idea where this sword was found. It is in pretty good condition considering it has been in the ground. The grip is missing and the knuckle bow is broken off. The sword seems typical of the French styled small sword that became popular in Europe during the last quarter of the 17th century. They were carried by the officers of many different countries, and were the most popular weapon of the upper class during the 18th century. Blade length: 23 10/16 inch \|\| 60.007 cm Blade thickness at forte: 1/4 inch \|\| 0.635 cm Blade width at forte: 11/16 inch \|\| 1.746 cm Cup width: 2 10/16 inches at widest point \|\| 6.668 cm Total length: 29 10/16 inches \|\| 75.247 cm Point of balance: about 1 3/4 inches from the bottom of the cup \|\| 4.445 Weight: 12 3/8 oz \|\| 0.351 kg The photos are copyright (c) 2014 by Dana K. Williams. All Rights Are Reserved. Attached Images Last edited by dana_w; 19th June 2014 at 08:56 PM.

22nd June 2014, 08:22 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,947	Thank you for adding this interesting smallsword Dana, we don't see many smallswords these days and they are a fascinating field which is highly specialized. This is also intriguing for the rather unusually intact condition considering its excavated classification, and the circumstances of its deposit would be most interesting. I would point out that the 'cup' in this case would be in my opinion better termed a bilobate shellguard, and these in variation were well known in Europe from the 17th century and 'Walloons ' as well as other hilt forms which evolved into these smallswords by the 18th century. It would be difficult to determine without markings or intact grip and decoration specifically which country this might be from, as the style as well as often even components were widely diffused. It would seem to be of probably mid 18th century as a speculative benchmark. Naturally, the provenance would be helpful as well, naturally with consideration for noted circumstances of discovery gauged accordingly .

23rd June 2014, 01:41 AM	#3
dana_w Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Southeast Florida, USA Posts: 429	As always Jim, thanks for your insightful comments. Interesting that you should mention the Walloons. The Huguenots played a large roll in the founding of Florida in 1562 and 1565. There were also a lot of French in what became British West Florida after the Treaty of Paris in 1763.