OLD steel!

[Brown County Man]

Wow that is amazing!

[AntlerCollector]

Incredible work

[hpdrifter]

Looks like real fine workmanship on it too.

[mfarmer]

Very cool

[Martin]

That is crazy cool!

[roberts]

Very cool find. Thanks for sharing.

[Thisistheway]

Wouldn't that be cool to find! Thanks

[Stick bow]

Very cool interesting conversation peace

[Bill]

What’s it’s story?


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[CEO]

Very cool.

[3ChordTruth]

Very unique, what are the letters on second to last pic?

[toledo]

Very nice!! Can you share the story of how you wound up with it?

I got it from a friend in Belgium. I was having some other things shipped and was able to add it in for no extra shipping cost. European laws make shipping "Arms" expensive no matter how old they are. It's already been sold to a buddy that's decorating a beautiful French country style home. At least I had the chance to fondle it for a bit.

Unfortunately, with the exception of items that have been passed down through royal families, very few things of this age have a known history. Most have passed through auction houses at some point. Any known history usually dies at that time. There was a huge surge in interest in 15th-17th C arms during the late Victorian period through the 1920s. Every British gentleman had to have an arms and armor collection is his study or smoking room. During this time, the majority of chateaus and castles were emptied of their treasures and sold resulting in their history being lost forever.

So, we end up looking to the item itself for clues. This rapier has a lot going on. First, the serpent mark on the blade. Known as the "Biscione" and originating from Milan, Italy. It's a talismanic mark that's known to have been used in many areas so it doesnt necessarily point to being Italian made. Still in use today.



Also, in the fuller, you see "SAHAGON". There were Toledo, Spain blade makers by that name during that time. But, just like the serpent, this was copied in other areas. It was extremely common for these and other marks to be widely used. They became known as signs of quality. The "Passau Wolf" is another good example.

Actual smith marks are the best. Many blades dont have them but a lot do. This one does but it's unfortunately too far gone to decipher. It can be seen on the ricasso just before the blade enters the quillon block. It looks similar to these but we'll never know.



From there, we have a few other options to come up with information. Dated shipwrecks and period art are the two best sources but are usually spotty at best. There's actually a Dutch painting from 1583 that shows an almost identical rapier. Definitely not the norm to have such an accurate depiction.





Hopefully that didnt bore too many.

[3ChordTruth]

Thanks Toledo, read it all, great interesting background information and none boring to me.

[Lee230]

With the crap that sometimes infiltrates TBH, every once in a while something really amazing pops up! Kind of like an ornate sword fished out of a canal! Thanks for sharing and I admit I had speculation regarding the authenticity of your piece. The painting and subsequent detail of the handle really come together well. You are super fortunate to have handled such an interesting piece.

[Bigfootwolff]

With the crap that sometimes infiltrates TBH, every once in a while something really amazing pops up! Kind of like an ornate sword fished out of a canal! Thanks for sharing and I admit I had speculation regarding the authenticity of your piece. The painting and subsequent detail of the handle really come together well. You are super fortunate to have handled such an interesting piece.

I definitely second this sentiment. Thanks for the information!