Seeking Help with Blade Marks

Jim McDougall · 25th April 2016, 08:02 PM

I am curious on the 'anchor' mark, any chance of an image?
While they seem to be often thought of as standard, there are sometimes variations.
I think the assessment of a cut down rapier blade seems quite reasonable and for the period noted of latter 17th c.
Aylward (1945, p.55) does indeed note a brass hilted 18th c. sword,with such a blade:
"...the curious thing one remarks about it being that it is always furnished with a double edged blade of rapier type which is often an actual 17th c.
one cut down and still signed by Aiala or Sahagun or at the least en Toledo' in that case with the wolf mark sometimes contradicting that assertion".
Obviously the wolf mark meaning the 'Passau' wolf instantly denoting German rather than Spanish attribution. However, I have personally not ever as I recall ever seen that combination.

While Aylward speaks about the brass hilts having a good deal of opposition from established makers of the finer hilts, he notes they had become well established after first quarter 18th c

It would seem the configuration of 'x's and words correspond to blades of the period in the late 17th and likely earlier, but this does to be a transitional blade as noted.
Similar inscriptions are X EN X MENE XX and again terminated by the 'anchor'.
The word 'MINI' may be a variant of the mene word, which is somewhat apocryphal but alludes to early Biblical references from the Book of Daniel etc. I have seen the meaning of IN MENE to mean 'in mind', but again there are many interpretations, and this may be another variant. Whatever the case it seems most likely of Solingen in late 17thc.

The excellent link to Latin inscriptions entered by Ibrahiim is truly helpful in trying to decipher many of these phrases and words so often found on blades, with many of them actually acrostics and in many cases with numeric equivilents (often used in Cabalistic cases).

25th April 2016, 08:02 PM	#5
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,929	I am curious on the 'anchor' mark, any chance of an image? While they seem to be often thought of as standard, there are sometimes variations. I think the assessment of a cut down rapier blade seems quite reasonable and for the period noted of latter 17th c. Aylward (1945, p.55) does indeed note a brass hilted 18th c. sword,with such a blade: "...the curious thing one remarks about it being that it is always furnished with a double edged blade of rapier type which is often an actual 17th c. one cut down and still signed by Aiala or Sahagun or at the least en Toledo' in that case with the wolf mark sometimes contradicting that assertion". Obviously the wolf mark meaning the 'Passau' wolf instantly denoting German rather than Spanish attribution. However, I have personally not ever as I recall ever seen that combination. While Aylward speaks about the brass hilts having a good deal of opposition from established makers of the finer hilts, he notes they had become well established after first quarter 18th c It would seem the configuration of 'x's and words correspond to blades of the period in the late 17th and likely earlier, but this does to be a transitional blade as noted. Similar inscriptions are X EN X MENE XX and again terminated by the 'anchor'. The word 'MINI' may be a variant of the mene word, which is somewhat apocryphal but alludes to early Biblical references from the Book of Daniel etc. I have seen the meaning of IN MENE to mean 'in mind', but again there are many interpretations, and this may be another variant. Whatever the case it seems most likely of Solingen in late 17thc. The excellent link to Latin inscriptions entered by Ibrahiim is truly helpful in trying to decipher many of these phrases and words so often found on blades, with many of them actually acrostics and in many cases with numeric equivilents (often used in Cabalistic cases). Last edited by Jim McDougall; 25th April 2016 at 08:41 PM.