Hello fellows and ladysmith Ive tried to introduce myself a couple of times, due to glitches in my phone or the net several long winded intro's lost in cyberspace. So now you get a quickie then to The point. My name I Eric MacKay. I was an electrician in NYC for about 25 years, moved to New Mexico took forced retirement and floundered until I started trying to be a blacksmith (which I'm still trying to do).

Any way I don't want to lose this so Ill get to the point. I have a sword someone gave me. I haven't done anything with it and want to be sure of it's authenticity b4 I touch it and hurt its value or point of historical origin. I'm posting this to be followed with pictures and a little more facts about why I'm posting.

thanks stifffingers.

fern lost another bunch of typing. If anyone recognizes this please let me know.

Thanks,

Stifffingers

Welcome aboard Eric, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header some of our other NM members might not hide. Lots of good guys down thataway.

I can't do more than venture a guess that's a brush chopper like a machete but don't know. It sure looks like a commercial make and that sir about exhausts my sword expertise.

Frosty The Lucky.

Handle has an Indonesian feel to me (ref: http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=5934  parang, golok...?), but I don't recall ever seeing one with that type of guard.  Might have been a one-of attempt to copy a European style guard on an eastern blade.  Interesting if nothing else.

Thanks Latticino and frosty,. Part of the typing I lost before I said I had found a picture of a bayonet either German is Spanish with a similar handle but no swords. It's the reversed cutting edge and the way the tip is shaped that messed with my head. Hopefully we'll find someone who has seen this before or its a project went wild and just another costume piece someone put together and lost it until I got it.

we'll see so thanks for your time and attention. Cause I don't know and I'm guessing all along.

Eric

 

ala stifffingers

I don't actually know anything about the sword that you have, but I will throw out a few ideas. The first thing that strikes me is that the tip looks like it has been cut or broken off and reshaped at some point, does the rate of change of the thickness of the blade change suddenly near the tip? that might be a clue.

Does the blade get wider a few inches away from the hilt? or is that just an optical illusion? I assume you have already looked for any stamps or marks on it. other than that I can only guess that it is something of 19th century vintage.

Good luck,

It looks to me like a cavalry sword...likely from some Southeast Asian colonial holding of England.  I have officially spoken from that place which cannot be named.

ok guys thanks for your time.Funny, but the sword has been in a cabinet since the first post. I still don't want to mess with it until, what it is is determined. It's not like I'm hurting for projects. I guess the minute that happens I won't care.

The guard says to me that this weapon was used with and defended against a slashing attack, deflecting the blow down and away from the users hand. The guard along with the straight blade remind me of some old naval cutlass' that I have seen. I do agree that it has a very Asiatic feel to the handle, but to me, I see cutlass.