New Sword Collector Seeking Input

[Seeker]

Hello all, this is my first post here. Allow me to introduce myself. I very recently became a sword collector by virtue of an unexpected inheritance. While I know very little about swords, I am no stranger to antiquarian artifact collecting, as I have collected, researched, and written about 19th century primarily American pocket watches for over forty years. I have written three books on that subject, all published by the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, two of which are currently in print.(Google Clint Geller, and you will find my two most recent books.)

A few months ago my long-time friend Walter passed away in his 90s with no close living relatives. His heirs, the daughters of his oldest childhood friend, also deceased, very generously thanked me for my small role in getting them in touch with the relevant authorities by giving me Walter's sword collection. I knew Walter had a sword collection, but I had never seen it. It is easy to understand Walter's interest in steel swords. He had been an avid fencer (his instructor was an Olympic silver medalist), he had a PhD in metallurgy from MIT, he had served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, and he was a student of military history.

I knew that Walter was no one's fool, so I figured he didn't assemble a bunch of junk. I was not dissapointed. From the dates of the newspapers in which several of his swords were wrapped, I could tell he had owned them since the 1970s. There were about 35 items including a large number of 18th century court and small swords, a tachi with lacquered wood scabbard. an Ottoman Memeluke scimitar, an 1822 Pattern British officer's sword, a French Napoleonic Cavalry sabre with scabbard, a Model 1860 US Cavalry sabre by C. Roby with scabbard and dated 1863 on the ricasso, and three rapiers.

This afternoon, I met with a sword expert - a mutual friend of a friend of mine who is the Curator of Collections at the Pittsburgh Soldiers & Sailors Hall & Museum. I decided to keep the three rapiers, the Civil War cavalry sabre, and two of the nicest small swords, and I sold the rest of the collection, about 30 pieces, to the gentleman I mentioned. The six swords I kept join the one I already owned - a Model 1852 US Naval Officer's sword bearing an 1861 presentation on its scabbard to a warrant officer on the USS Wachusett, a steam-sail frigate that was part of the Union's Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The inscription on the scabbard matches that on a silver Waltham pocket watch that I purchased in the same auction lot.

So those are my seven swords. Right now, I'd like to focus on the three rapiers, as I view these as the flaghsips of my small collection. The sword expert who examined them has confirmed my tentative identifications of the three swords as, respectively, (1) a German swept-hilt rapier, (2) an English pierced cup rapier, and (3) an Italian seven-ring rapier. I am a bit unsure about the seven-ring rapier, as the fastions are more elaborate than the examples I have seen pictures of, and they both curl forward (which I like, as I am left-handed). Also, the sword does not have running wolves engraved on the fuller, as I had read to expect. I'd appreciate opinions about these swords and your best guesses about their production dates. The English rapier appears to be from about 1650, but I am less certain about the other two dates. I have seen dates cited for seven-ring rapiers as anywhere from 1590 to the "second quarter of the 17th century." One source put the date of my style of German swept-hilt rapier at 1610, but I have seen other dates for it as well.

My apologies in advance if my images don't show the features you want to see.