Charles,
Nothing wrong with disagreeing with your Southern Brutha. After all, you say potato, I say tater.
I went back and had a second look at this thing and noticed a few other things about it. First, the seller is out of Indonesia. While one cannot conclude anything about a piece based on where it is currently located, that is an interesting thing. Why would a gladius hilted european sword be in Indonesia? Is this style of blade and hilt common of the Dutch? When looking at one of the pics where you have a good profile shot of the handle from a top view, the handle reminds me of a tulwar handle. The way the grip swells out on both sides, the cross guards and even the pommel cap are not unlike tulwar grips. The blade is also unlike blades I have seen on those gladius hilted european swords. This one has a deep wide fuller its full length whereas those european type swords tend to be more diamond shape in cross profile. The simple leather scabbard with seam is not unlike similar scabbards used to house tulwars. More food for thought?
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