[Jim McDougall]

This is a truly intriguing topic, and one thing that stands out is the term 'scimitar' (though spelled differently).
I had always taken this to be the corrupted transliteration of the Persian 'shamshir' for curved saber applied by the Italian traders. This became generally used for dramatic effect by later Victorian writers to suggest 'flashing oriental sabers in exotic character'.

While the shamshir term of course suggests the curved sabers we know from the Middle Eastern sphere, typically Persian, the term itself is of course more broadly intended in that language.

I am surprised to see it used in quasi official documentation as seen here, which brings me to the question, were such swords with clipped point blades as seen in contemporary art actual weapons, or artistic license?

As seen in the illustration of pirate Henry Avery in Esquemeling (1678) this hanger type 'cutlass' with clipped point is shown, and this resembles drawings of such swords in arms references of latter 19th c.
From 17th century Spanish wrecks clipped tip machetes are seen.

Were clipped point swords being produced as seen here as hangers and.or machete/cutlasses, and were these indeed the mysterious 'scimitar'?

As seen in illustrations: Figure of Avery shows clipped point (1678); next is machete from Spanish galleon Atocha (1622); an example from galleon Maravillas (1656); plate from "Schwert Degen Sabel", Seifert (1962) which shows that by mid 18th c. these clipped points were in some degree termed 'pandour point'.

The two pages from wrecks are from "Small Arms of the Spanish Treasure Fleets" Noel Well, 2006, Keith you will note the obvious error referring to the BTF (bushy tail fox) with H as a running wolf with no reference to the profound differences in the German 'running wolf' and Harvey bushy tail fox, suggesting they were the same as used in both England and Germany.