Karabela... but is it genuine Polish?

kronckew · 24th July 2007, 06:28 AM

that 'karabela' looks almost exactly like the Viktor Berbekucz made 16c hungarian sabre i have, it was custom forged by him a couple years ago out of CV steel and has a modern molded grip, and does not have a channeled and marked spine, just his VB sheild logo near the languet.

his catalogue photo:

his website appears to be down, but normally resides at http://www.berbekuczviktor.hu/

i believe he has based his designs on one of the exhibits at a hungarian nat'l. museum. the blade on the ebay one looks more tulwarish, the grip looks much like my VB one except mine is not grooved under the languet, and is grooved from the languet's lower end to the pommel. the ebay one has an unsharpened tulwarry ricasso, less well defined yelman; mine is sharp to the guard. looks like an indian fitted a hungarian grip and guard to a tulwar blade (or visa versa) to the 'polish' ebay sword. the grip doesn't look very karabela-like to my untrained eyes....but what do i know, maybe a polish lordlet imported an austo-hungarian swordsmith of a distinguished indian ancestry who was a ex-armory blade marker who got nostalgic.

24th July 2007, 06:28 AM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	that 'karabela' looks almost exactly like the Viktor Berbekucz made 16c hungarian sabre i have, it was custom forged by him a couple years ago out of CV steel and has a modern molded grip, and does not have a channeled and marked spine, just his VB sheild logo near the languet. his catalogue photo: his website appears to be down, but normally resides at http://www.berbekuczviktor.hu/ i believe he has based his designs on one of the exhibits at a hungarian nat'l. museum. the blade on the ebay one looks more tulwarish, the grip looks much like my VB one except mine is not grooved under the languet, and is grooved from the languet's lower end to the pommel. the ebay one has an unsharpened tulwarry ricasso, less well defined yelman; mine is sharp to the guard. looks like an indian fitted a hungarian grip and guard to a tulwar blade (or visa versa) to the 'polish' ebay sword. the grip doesn't look very karabela-like to my untrained eyes....but what do i know, maybe a polish lordlet imported an austo-hungarian swordsmith of a distinguished indian ancestry who was a ex-armory blade marker who got nostalgic. Last edited by kronckew; 24th July 2007 at 06:58 AM.