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Nation : Italian
Local Price : $29995 USD

Exquisite Chiseled Italian Rapier, ca. 1620 . One of the finest quality rapiers to come on the market in years, this rapier would be a showpiece in any museum or private collection. Steel hilt chiseled in fine detail with matching artichoke motif throughout. It consists of straight quillons with artichoke finials, quillon block chiseled in the form of artichoke leaves, pas d"e;ane joining the double side rings; each with opposing artichokes separated by a disk. Knucklebow also features opposing artichokes separated by a disk, ending just short of the artichoke pommel with button. The leaves in the design are chiseled with stems 360 degrees in the round. Reverse with unadorned single side ring and two symmetrical bars joining the base of the lower obverse side ring. Original wire-wrapped grip with turks heads and overlying twisted wire lattice. Hexagonal-section 44 ½" blade with long tapered ricasso with line borders and stamped on each side with maker"e;s mark "* S *"; short central fuller stamped "* IHS *", with another "S" stamped just below the fuller on each side. Overall length 51 ½". 100% original and complete in near excellent condition with just very light pinprick pitting on the blade. A smaller and less ornate rapier made approximately 20 years later featuring this exact same motif is in the Wallace Collection and featured in numerous publications. It is likely the work of the same artisan. The workmanship is superb in every detail. Though this sword looks great in photos, they cannot do it justice. From a multi-million dollar New York City estate, this is the finest sword we have ever offered! SR1250 $29,995

Nation : German
Local Price : $24995 USD

Extremely Rare German Landsknecht Hand-and-a-half Sword, ca. 1520 . The Landsknecht mercenaries of the Germanic countries were among the most fearsome warriors in all of history. In a time when there were no standing armies as we know today, any king or magnate who could afford them wanted to hire the Landsknechts. The Katzbalger (literally "cat skinner") was the well-known short sword with the S-shaped guard of twisted iron. Genuine Katzbalgers are very rare and usually bring well over $10,000 when they come up for sale. However, what is even more scarce is the two-handed or hand-and-a-half varieties with S-shaped guard. A two-handed example sold at auction in Munich about 15 years ago for about $16,000 USD and has since changed hands several times for ever increasing prices. The example offered here is the only hand-and-a-half sword of this type we have ever encountered. It features a very large distinctive S-shaped guard of twisted iron with fluted bun finials. Ovoid pommel with a pair of incised lines at the base, mounted on what is apparently the original leather-wrapped two-stage wood grip. The guard is loose due to shrinkage of the grip and the lack of a ferrule which once was likely mounted at its base. Thick hollow-ground 42" blade of triangular section with a latten-filled cross mark, designed to pierce the weak spots in an opponent"e;s armor. Metal shows hand forging, light pitting, and a rich dark patina on the guard. Overall length 54". Such a sword would have been carried by a veritable giant for the time. This type sword is often considered the Holy Grail for collectors of weapons of the age of the armored knight. SB1244c $24,995

Nation : German
Local Price : £17500

Fine North European Two Handed Sword Dating To Circa 1520. A fine, rare and well proportioned North European two handed sword (hand and a half sword). The hilt, which retains much of its original blackening to the iron parts, is an impressively chiselled example of the early 16th century armourer’s craft. The flat, downwardly curved quillons, widening towards square-ended terminals, with central rope-twist decoration in raised relief on both sides, plus the deeply grooved pommel with fluted ridges, mark this sword out as a member of a distinct and unique group of North European two-handed swords. So far as we know, only six of this type are presently identified. The broad blade is single edged with a thick spine beneath which two fullers each side extend from the hilt for 40% of its length, after which the blade is double edged and of lenticular section. Three crescent-shaped notches are applied at the end of the spine. An armourers mark of facing crescents terminating in ovals, with a further oval imbetween, flanked by trefoils of diamond shaped dots is present on one side a short distance from the hilt. The marks are most likely of a Passau smith. The hub of the cross is formed as a thick bar of rectangular section. The distinctive quillons are rounded nearest the block and expand in vertically flattened form towards their terminals and are decorated with raised diagonally grooved rope-like lines along the middles which are flanked by further incised lines. Two horizontal ring guard bars of thick round section are applied to the sides, each formed with two raised knops with similar “roped” finish. Beneath the cross, a downward facing round section bar of open crescent shape is applied. Two further crescents, also decorated with knops, are forged onto the terminals of this bar and rise at 45 degrees to attach to, and strengthen, the side rings. The pommel is of upturned pear shape and formed with eight equally spaced deep grooves which radiate from the pommel top to its base. The surfaces of the ridges imbetween are cut with narrow lines alternating in vertical, and diagonally vertical form, similar in depth and spacing as the lines which form the rope designs on the guard. The guard and the pommel retain much of the original blackened finish. The waisted stepped grip is of wood covered with leather over a cord wrap. The blade length is 41.5 inches (105.5 cm) and overall is 52 inches (132 cm) long. These large swords were not just for two-handed use. They were designed to be used equally well with one hand by a trained user. In the 16th century such swords were quite common on European battlefields, carried by armies fighting wars almost permanently during a time of shifting religious and political change. As fashions moved towards the beginning of the 17th century they went out of use and today are rare compared to the survival rates of two-handed swords of the “bearing sword” variety – large, well made, imposing and decorous, but designed mainly to be carried point up in civic procession rather than for use in combat. One fine example, almost identical to ours, is illustrated in “Records of the Medieval Sword”, Ewart Oakeshott, St Edmundsbury Press, 1991, page 241, which sold through Peter Dale Ltd of London before 1982. The same example is illustrated in “The Price Guide to Antique Edged Weapons”, Leslie Southwick, Antique Collectors Club, 1982, page 29, fig 49). Oakeshott comments that another sword in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (Inventory Number M.602-1927) and illustrated in “European Swords”, Anthony North, page 6 fig 3, has an identical hilt apart from the guard having one branch. A third example is illustrated in “Edged Weapons in Sweden”, Staffan Kinman, Stockholm, 2014, page 29, fig 26b, and is similar to the British Museum example. Oakeshott comments on another in Zurich (Schweizerisches Landesmuseum Inventory Number LM 16933). A fifth sword with similar characteristics is also illustrated in Southwick (as above) fig 48, its location unknown.

Nation : German
Local Price : £12500

South German Or Swiss Hand And A Half Sword Circa 1560. A scarce and attractive “hand and a half” sword dating to the mid 16th century. A well made example, finely balanced in hand, well constructed and in good condition. The distinctive hilt is similar to contemporary hilts of more common single handed swords known as “Saxon”, but most certainly made and used over a much wider region. Two similar hand and a half examples are displayed in the Doge’s Palace in Venice. These large swords were not just for two-handed use. They were designed to be used equally well with one hand by a trained user. In the 16th century these swords were probably not a rare site on European battlefields, carried by mercenaries and professional soldiers in armies fighting almost permanently during a time of shifting religious, political and social change. As fashions changed towards the beginning of the 17th century they went out of use and today are quite rare compared to the survival rates of two-handed swords which are of the “bearing sword” variety – large, well made, imposing and decorous, but designed mainly to be carried point up in civic procession rather than for use in combat. The hilt consists of a robust square section quillon block from which the broad arms of the cross guard are forged in flattened diamond section broadening towards the ends and terminating in shallow diamond profiles mounted with knops in the centre. A ring guard is forged from the block, and a smaller secondary ring guard sits beneath this attached to the base of two vertically aligned convex crescents of iron, which extend from the underside of the block either side of the ricasso. This structure is further strengthened on the reverse side by two crossed loops of rounded form which protrude from the block and attach to the base of the guard crescents below. A thumb ring is attached to the block above these loops. The pommel is of solid cone form with a slightly flared and narrow neck beneath. The waisted stepped grip is of wood covered with leather over a cord wrap. The broad blade is double edged with a ricasso extending some 5.5 inches (14 cm) from the hilt. A single broad central fuller extends down the centre of the blade 9.5 inches (24 cm) flanked by two shorter fullers of similar width which extend for the length of the ricasso. Beyond the central fuller the blade is of flattened lenticular section to its tip. Just beyond the end of the central fuller a stamped armourers mark is present both sides consisting of a face in a half moon facing to the left. This type of mark was often used by Solingen and Toledo trained smiths. This mark particularly resembles the Toledo mark of Espadero del Rey. The blade is most likely of Northern Italian origin manufactured by a Toledo trained smith, working in an area under Spanish control, possibly Milan, from where Spanish blades could easily access the wider European sword making markets. It is also possible that the mark is of a Spanish trained smith that went on to work in one of the non-Spanish blade-making centres such as Solingen and that the sword was made in its entirety there. This sword form was not common in the Spanish armoury. Some European sword makers are known to have trained in Toledo, for example Heinrich Col who was a German from Solingen who worked in Toledo then in Germany (Cf. Seitz I, p. 344, and II, p. 268) indicating that movement of smiths between blade and sword making centres occurred. For more information on this mark see “European Makers of Edged Weapons, Their Marks – A Handbook for Museums and Collectors”, Staffan Kinman, Norrkopings Tryckeri, 2015. Blade length 39 inches (99 cm). Length overall 47.5 inches (120.5 cm).

Nation : French
Local Price : £11995

Click and use the code 22061 to search for this item on the dealer website Original Fantastic Early Crusader´s Knightly Sword Up to 1000 Years Old

Nation : -
Local Price : $15995 USD

Exceptional Skeleton Hilt Rapier, Probably by Gottfried Leygebe, ca. 1660 . Cast and chiseled silver hilt featuring large single side ring of ribbed diamond-section with central opposing artichoke buds. Protruding from the obverse of the quillon block are three down-turned diagonal bars ending in artichoke finials; reverse quillon block decorated with acanthus in relief. Hollow grip of intertwined rope work; pommel of artichoke form with long button. The delicate parts of the hilt are reinforced with iron bars, visible behind the slender stems. Slender 32" double-edged blade of hexagonal section with 9" central fuller, pierced with geometric designs and stamped with several small marks at the ricasso. Blade lightly pitted. Overall length 38 ½". Likely a one-of-a-kind piece, which would be proudly displayed in the finest museum collections. Gottfried Christian Leygebe (1630-1683) of Nuremberg was a highly acclaimed sculptor and metal worker. In 1645 he travelled to Nuremberg to train as an armourer with Albrecht Liechtmann. He specialized in engraving in iron, made contact with Georg Pfr

Nation : German
Local Price : £11500

German / Tyrolean Hand And A Half Sword Circa 1520 With Islamic / Ottoman Inscription. A German or Tyrolean “hand and a half” size fighting sword, of attractive proportions, dating to the first part of the 16th century. A worn Islamic inscription on both sides of the blade indicates that the sword was once captured by the Ottomans as a trophy, most likely in one of the many battles engaged between European and Ottoman forces, as the Empire expanded into the Balkans, Southern Europe and the Mediterranean rim in the late 15th and 16th centuries. Until the early part of the 20th century many similar trophies were stored at the Istanbul Armoury (now the Military Museum, Asker Muzesi, at Harbiye), and relocated to other locations around the city in turbulent times for Turkey at the end of the Ottoman era, often to insecure and inappropriate storage. Some swords like this dispersed to European collections where they were cleaned and displayed. The story of the sword therefore not only represents the European armourer’s craft in the early 16th century, but also in different ways, the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which it was originally used to oppose, and its decline. The broad double-edged blade gradually tapers towards its point. A central fuller extends from the hilt either side for 10 inches (26 cm) which is flanked by two shorter fullers 7 inches (18 cm) in length. Just after the fullers terminate the inscription is applied slightly to one side on each face and the blade is of flattened lenticular section thereafter for the rest of its length. The middle of the cross is forged as a thick, oval guard bar. The quillons are of rounded section and curve downwards to terminate in large waisted swollen knops. A sloping thumb ring is present on one side and a more imposing guard ring is fixed to the other, strengthened by secondary guard bars which join the sides of the ring with the cross bar. The outer edge of the ring is decorated with knops of similar style to the quillon terminals. The solid pommel is dome shaped on top, decorated with fern-like incised designs, cone shaped below and mounted with an integral button. The waisted stepped grip is of wood covered with leather over a cord wrap. These large swords were not just for two-handed use. They were designed to be used equally well with one hand by a trained user. In the 16th century “hand and a half” swords were probably not a rare site on European battlefields. As fashions changed towards the beginning of the 17th century they went out of use and today are quite rare compared to the survival rates of two-handed swords which are of the “bearing sword” variety – large, well made, imposing and decorous, but designed mainly to be carried point up in civic procession rather than for use in combat. Blade length 41.25 inches (105 cm). Length overall 49.5 inches (126 cm).

Nation : Japanese
Local Price : £9995

Click and use the code 18683 to search for this item on the dealer website Simply Magnificent Museum Quality Shinto Period Yoshikuni Samurai Sword