Makers mark on 19th century 'star and comet' Kaskara blade

[jaxonrice]

Hi All

I was wondering if anyone might be able to identify a mark on the blade of a 19th century ‘star and comet’ kaskara. The mark appears in the photos below just beneath the quillon in these photos and seems to be in the fuller, consisting of vertical incisions with crosshatching, with either a circle or a crescent superimposed. I attach some photos here of the mark

The Kaskara itself was recovered by Captain FM Hext of the Royal Irish Fusiliers after the battle of Tamai in 1884. It features the same ‘star and comet” type silver engraved hilt and quillon as the very early kaskara that belonged to Nasir Mohamed, the Funj sultan from AD 1762 to 1769, and that is now in Sudan National. Museum.

The single fullered blade is 93cm and total length of the kaskara is 107cm. The blade seems to have seen quite a bit of use, though still retains its sharp edge 140 years later.

I will post more photos of the sword and sheath in a reply.

Thanks in advance for any feedback