Your smallswords
Wow! Two beautiful swords.
The first one (N Tol) takes us into territory that has been terribly overlooked; at least, if there is published research out there then I have not found it, but !!!!! as I am constantly declaring "I am an almost total novice" and have entered this world exclusively via Shotley Bridge.
This is unquestionably a colichemarde style, but being based on a flattened blade makes it - please correct me if I am in error - very early, probably early 1600s and not what I am researching, but...
This is, in itself, of considerable interest, as the colichemarde's fattened forte has generally been associated with trefoil smallswords, so may go some way towards establishing the history of the moniker i.e. was it called a colichemarde back then?
The concept of a fattened forte obviously begins well before the arrival of the hollowed blade, probably during the rapier/smallsword transitional period? Norman is frustratingly scant when it comes to blades; frustrating for me anyway because I have zero interest in hilts, and the beautiful reprint I bought was very expensive.
I suspect this is a Solingen blade marked thus for a particular market.
I have to confess, I have been on the lookout for one for some time.
The ICB blade is another matter altogether! Is it an 1800s product?
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