Mystery Short Sword: What is it? Messer, Seax, Facine/Pioneer, Hunting Sword?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- I buy and sell hundreds of antique swords, but I don't really know exactly what this one is! Do you? I've also got some other antique short swords out to compare to it.
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Swordsmith: "Wait, the customer wants what?"
Sales: "Look, the customer is always right."
One week later: "I want to speak to the managing blacksmith"
'Okay, Karen'
Swordsmith: "Heh, this thing is gonna make future archeologists scratch their heads"
Oh, come on Rebecca!
Sales never said that!
I think it looks like what is called a "Standhauer" in German. That's more or less a civilian pioneer sword for hunting. But it is not primarily for killing but for clearing underbrush. Sort of a gentleman's heavy machete.
Something for woodsman/ranger? A guy who takes care of local nobleman woods and chases off poachers?
It seems to me to be a reshaped thing, something that started as pioneer sword .
I agree i think I've seen a similar sword in the north east of the Netherlands which would fit with your theory. In my opinion it was made for a gamekeeper that needed something for self defence and a utility tool
It does look very much like this one.
www.kunst-waffenkammer.com/antique-arms-armour/authentic-edged-weapons/edged-weapons-civilian/standhauer-germany-ca-1820/
@@IndianaJoe3 In a way, yes, but that also seems significantly shorter. It's certainly possible that it's a standhauer, but I wouldn't know if it's a typical or atypical type of one.
@@IndianaJoe3 my thoughts exactly
Ah yes, of course. This here is, quite clearly, a Pointy McSlashy.
I was thinking more Pointed Chopslasher
Pointy McChopslashy--gotta stick with tradition
Pointy McSlashface, obviously.
@@Aconitum_napellus we once elected a Pointy McSlashface POTUS.
Not a Pointy McChoppy? ;)
It's a Pioneer-messer-hunting-seax, obviously.
(Probably someone's custom sword, because they could)
Nineteenth century equivalent of a well-made garagegun.
I would guess it's a custom made sword for civilian explorer/adventurer who didn't want to carry military sword bud needed some sort of pioneer/hunting/machete.
It looks pretty similar to my home made outdoor/Bushcraft Messer.
Because they could, kinda says it all!
Looks like a pionier knife from the Imperial Swiss marines :)
I'm no archeologist but I feel pretty comfortable designating it a ritual object...
Definitely for agricultural or fertility rites.
@@alatar7773 'Fertility rites' is such beautifully versatile term. It can mean practically anything from rich hunt/forage, through plentifull harvest and healthy children, up to courting rituals (including fighting and warfare).
@@matusfekete6503 It's also Historian's short-hand for "We have no idea what the hell this is!"
@@matusfekete6503 'Fertility rites usually means it's a dildo. But anything is if you're brave enough!
lol
Time traveler goes back in time and finds the blacksmith.
"What is this? Is it a Huntingsword? A Messer?"
"What? I just got a customor that said how he wanted his sword. I don't know what it is called."
I really like these kinds of videos. Your humility in admitting to not knowing the answer doesn't just add to your reputation as an authority, but it also brings across an important message that a lot of people seem to forget. And that's that there's a lot that we don't know and that we should look out for certain exceptions and, sometimes, controversial ideas.
This is one of the reasons why I consider you to be such an amazing source. Not because I think you only spout truth, but because you tend to lead your viewers to more critical thinking.
The channel is called Scholagladiatoria but Matt is more of a scholargladius!
It must have ritualistic purposes (as many historians have said for many things they didn't know what they were)
There are Filipino and Indonesian blades very similar to this, and you sometimes see them remounted with non-local furniture. My wife has a pedang that has a European style hilt and guard. I don't know that it's from that part of the world, but it's entirely possible it's a similar thing, a remounted utility/fighting tool with an atypical hilt
Once you get into the hobby you see all sorts of things. I've seen Nepali khukuri with tulwar-style hilts. This blade does look a bit like a Filipino ginunting, though. Usually they're curved inward towards the blade, but not always. As another commenter pointed out, the person ordering the thing from the cutler is always right.
@@nickaschenbecker9882 That last sentence is Pure Truth.
I took one look and thought, "Ooh, nice camp sword." All-purpose, short enough to strap the scabbard to a backpack, still big enough to have reach advantage on animals, good for quartering/butchering, chop off fish heads, trailblazing through patches of brush, cut rope, etc. Not too specialized to any one task, and not to use for any one thing all day long, but just whatever needs whacked, sliced, smacked, or speared at the moment.
From the look and description, maybe it was made for a big guy who wouldn't tire with it. Someone almost 2 meters tall and 100+kg wouldn't find it too heavy for general camp/hunt chores. He would be more frustrated with "flimsy" blades that didn't have enough bite, and he could still use this with some finesse.
I think you called it, basically. It's the 19th century version of the Zombie Tools "Hellion" or "Sharkalope" for some rugged outdoorsman/hunter who spent a lot of time in the bush. Personally, it looks about right for my use, too :)
As a german viewer of your channel i give you my opinion. In 1848/ 49 there was a not sucessfull revolution attempt in Germany , the most fights had been in Great Duchy of Baden. In this periode regular military and police forces had been involved, but also semi- or irregular forces. This had been the relicts of the 17/18 th century town or rural militias, or new formed militias. There was a great lack of weapons ( and training) so that this militias could be used only as guards or auxillaries of police. Many of those militia companies had no firearms, only ,warskythes' or pikes, cheaply made by local craftsmen. So this weapon could be a locally made weapon for such a militia company, or perhaps simply for a ,Schützenverein' with military behavior. The other possibility is a huntsmans weapon, but not a hunting sword, ,Hirschfänger' in german, but a ,Standhauer' which was used more as a machetelike tool than for the final stab of a wounded piece oft game ( Fangstoß/ coup de grace). In 19 th century poachers, woodthieves etc. had been a serous danger both for private huntsmen and Forrest officals, so the edged weapons had also been used for selfdefence.
I am not a sword guy, but I would look carefully at the fittings to try to determine if they may have been trade goods, and not focus on the blade.
If they were commonly available in the surplus market of the time, that would be a clue as to some local manufacture. Thoughts?
Imagine when future archeologists are going to find statues of Gundam.
@Old Soul That is a pretty accurate description.
"Must have been for ceremonial purposes."
There will be no statues of Gundam, because they will have pulled down due to being racist/colonialist/patriachal.
They are models of giant fighting machines that probably existed at some time in history but sadly none survived intact for us to marvel.
@@realhorrorshow8547 why would Gundams be those things?
It's the early modern equivalent of a weekend project.
that's it. probably someone was just fiddling around in the workshop
The one thing that jumped out at me was the year - 1848 was the Year of Revolutions, when insurrections broke out all over Europe. What relevance that might have, if any, I have no idea; though I could speculate fruitlessly.
Yea first thing that sprung to my mind (when he said 1848 and not mass produced) is a local revolutionary cell with no access to mass produced weapons having the local smith making them weapons.
@@csfelfoldi You read my mind - perhaps adding a military pattern of hilt, possibly from the this-might-come-in-handy-someday shelf, to a toolblade.
That is what I thought, too. Moreover, I'd guess that it could be an older blade (or perhaps even a piece of a broken one), repurposed as a resurgent weapon/tool and marked with a date for an importance of it.
I had the same thought. But couldn't this have got the maker in trouble? I could be completely wrong, but leaving maker's marks on there could get the smith in trouble.
@@hazzardalsohazzard2624 Is there a maker's mark on it? I didn't catch that if it was stated. Even if there is, it could've been one purely used for potential revolutionary arms, and not used on any of his other work.
In the end, what this sword is missing is “context”
4:32 "You could use this in the zombie apocalypse pretty much straight away, even though it's 170 years old."
Yeah, like they didn't have zombies in the 19th century. -_-
Worse, they had vampires.
My guess is it's a fachinmesser of some model or a jagermesser. The fachinmesser was issued to fusiliers and the jager went to the rifles. It's hard to say what county though because all the german states and austria issued similar swords.
The hilt looks very like an Austrian Pandur from 18th Century. Austrian Fachinmesser?
"It's Ceremonial."
"Most probably it was used for ritual purposes"
Yup and probably got something to do with reproduction.
Aaand I'm Dead! 🤣
Actually reminds me of an Indonesian Klewang in western mounting. A quick google search shows some examples with a similar looking blade.
I believe this was a kick ass present from a gifted maker to a loved person
I had to stop for a minute and appreciate how he casually says that he does his gardening with a XIX century tool :P
That's not particularly uncommon.
I'm not even a collector and I've got tools for the garden and for brush clearing that are approaching a century in age, all still perfectly functional and they are used every week. It sounds more exciting than it is.
When did the market for reproduction swords start? I can imagine it fitting with a Victorian Gothic aesthetic.
Probably a lot earlier than most people think. Roman empire stuff was in vogue in renaissance era Europe.
Hey Matt! Can this be some kind of a broken yatagan, that has been re-shaped after being broken? The pattern welding is more like Middle-Eeast feature, speaking of 19th century.
Looks very similar to the Swedish 1848 “cutlass” I’ve also seen listed as a pioneer sword
It's looks a bit similar but the Swedish 1848 cutlass is sharp on the curved side and stockier and heavier.
The 1848 Fascine knife is much shorter and, as you correctly point out, a pioneer's tool as well as a sidearm. It is howver, much shorter than this blade.
The handle pinning is the same but most that I've seen are a heavy, 'bulging' blade. Still, mid-19th C European is certainly my guess . . .
In Austria I think we would call this a "Standhauer". They were a combination tool for making hunting shelters and dispatching wounded animals and were modeled after fascine knives. Cold steel used in hunting here has traditional ornamental functions and is still often handcrafted, often according to the wishes of the hunter (although I have to admit that the grips are usually made of deer horn).
As far as I understand the Standhauer was mostly replaced in the 20th century on advocation of famous hunter Walter Fervert with the "Waidblatt" (literally hunting-leaf, having a leaf shaped blade and being also a combination tool, though it seems to have existed for a longer time) and the names seem often to be used interchangable.
More specialised hunting tools are the "Hirschfänger" (dispatching animals, small version is the "Nicker") and the "Praxe" (hunting bill), which are also often confused with Standhauer.
Maybe an experienced member of a hunting guild in Austria/Germany could tell more.
Matt, actually those reminds me of non regulation dutch KNIL klewang (before the standardization in 1870s). Most often they married local blade with euro hilt
Quite a plausible theory, the date would be for its assembly and fitting not it's manufacture.
I'd go for all of the above but (mostly) a hunting sword/tool because:
1) Wounded animals can't run away or fight back so it doesn't matter if the sword id heavy and slow
2) Heavy choppy blades are useful for butchering and camping chores and clearing brush
But then there is a pronounced cross guard suggesting it might be used as a weapon but if it's a short heavy slow weapon then maybe its mostly a defensive weapon?
So maybe it's intended for an outdoorsman who might get attacked - potentially someone with a nomadic kind of lifestyle.
It would make sense as a secondary backup weapon/tool for a soldier on campaign, perhaps with a firearm or better armed buddies.
Hunts were the reserve of the Upper Classes, Hunting Swords are ornate.
@@EldarKinSlayer not universally. An hidalgo in Mexico or a brukowa in Poland would be nobles exempt from taxes and otherwise privileged, but still rural people with preference for function over form.
@@Stroggoii My fault for not being specific, I was speaking of European, especially Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Americas are completely different. Hunting Swords are almost unheard of in the US.
That follows my thinking. Order a custom purpose blade, and the smith will add a handle and guard, ‘because it looks right.’
My Navy father in-law brought home a similar object from the Philippines after WW II; the sharp bottom edge, curved upper edge, quite heavy and clearly designed for serious chopping. It also has a similar grip, although no hilt or guard.
This fits with what my initial impressions are. It looks like it was inspired by both European and Islamic influences, but the design was altered to fit local conditions. Especially after he showed the Kris, I was thinking perhaps Indonesia or the Philippines. Makes sense, since you have a tropical climate that would make a chopper useful, but also have animals and/or other humans that one might need to defend against.
Ginunting?
I have definitely seen this exact sword hilt (a set of 3 of them) but with a blade more like the Martini-Henry bayonet (albeit with a much cruder sawback-the teeth were pretty much equilateral triangles), bakelite or celluloid grip panels and they were listed as being firemen swords/daggers for parade use. That broken back blade looks very interesting and is definitely practical.
To me it's more like a parang or other typical sword in SEA region. But then again the guard & handle is more european. Maybe a espada y daga (in which also mix Spanish-phillipines design).
Perhaps the blade was rehilted?
Filipino weapons/machetes normally don't have riveted handles but glued ones.
@@tatumergo3931 Spain was using brass hilts and handles at the time, just like France.
@@gfhjkfghj4208 afaik colonial period and newer Filipino swords are riveted, at least those that were made not so traditionally.
My first thought was naval,weighted for cutting away ropes from fallen rigging as well as being short enough for boarding operations.
It's a fancy historic champaign sabre or "Sciabola del Sommelier"
Very neat weapon. Good video, Matt!
My guess is a Scandinavian (possibly Swedish) Faskinkniv many of which look pretty similar. 1848 was the year of the first Schleswig War and though mainly a German/Danish affair, Denmark did also have a number of Norwegian and Swedish volunteers participating.
The handle looks like that of a
Austro-Hungarian M1853 Pioneers Faschinenmesser
The guard looks like that of a Type 1 Royal Saxon Pioneer's Fashinenmesser or a Prussian M.1864 Faschinenmesser
The blade is quite intriguing, seems like someone ground a larger Fashinenmesser's blade to make it, and the largest Fashinenmesser issued I know of is the Type 1 Royal Saxon Pioneer's Fashinenmesser. My guess is that someone replaced the integral brass handle with a wooden one and ground the tip off, so it is either customisation or repair of an issued sword ?
Most likely a variation on a Faschinenmesser, or a custom twist on a civvy hunting, all rounder, field short sword , Standhauer , 'one chopper fits all' approach.
i love you matt. in the end you could say also:"a log of wood are not only for burning, you can also make houses and use it as weapon" haha
Perhaps it is the sword version of the Nessmuck Axe? Nessmuck Axe was a custom made double bit cruiser Axe made for a short man to fit and be comfortable for his use.
Some sort of SE Asian blade that's been remounted is my bet. Ginunting, Kampilan, Klewang, or maybe even Parang Ilang.
I would call it a woodsman's sword. Wharncliffe style blades lend themselves to many woods tasks. Wood splitting and fine carving at the point, skinning game and preparing shelter. Also, self defense. I would carry it without hesitation
I don't know what it is or who might have used it, but after watching Matt wave it around for ten minutes I kinda want one.
The hilt reminds me of a Swedish facine knife of that era, but those are generally shorter with an almost kopis like blade profile.
I saw a very similar sword at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul -- short and heavy. It was labeled as a headsman's sword.
Your description of the metallurgy sounds like very fine Damascus steel, which would fit.
I do think that it's a personal or bespoke purchase of some sort- whether by a soldier or civilian. It's rather unembellished for a private purchase for, say, an officer, but tastes will vary.
Could it be shortened from a larger and possibly broken sword?
Nice video! Regards from Brazil.
It is a last ditch self defense weapon for dispatching wild animals and a jungle survival tool. The guard is do you can thrust ad hard as you want without worry of wounding yourself, the guard anti slip measure as you wail on beast that you've failed to kill with a long arm and/or handgun. The size makes in quick to deploy and use even if you pinned against the ground , against a tree and surround by things that could bind up your weapon. The thickness and heft means of could withstand cutting and bone through tougher hide and thicker bone without breaking and chop up firewood.
It has a similar blade profile and weight (from what you say) as a Indonesian Mandaw or Ambang. I own an Ambang that was hand made in Indonesia. As I understand it the Mandaw is the more fighting oriented one and the Ambang is more utility focused but the blade profile is similar. The hilt and guard on your one is very different which possibly means its not one of these but it could be at least based off one. I hope this helps,
Finn.
I think its probably Parang/Parang Luwu' from what was known as Indonesia today but mounted in "European style". Dutch officers or Local working for Dutch East Indies often commission these "hybrid" blade.
1848 was a REAL turbulent year in Europe. It was a year of revolution. Also, it was the year the gold rush started.
I love short swords.
They're relatable :,)
Does it glow blue when Orcs are near? 😄
That would be really cool.🤔👍
@@thomaswilkinson3241 But we'd never know because Orcs were wiped out in the Great Orc War of 1254
@@spyrofrost9158 Nah currently they're trying to tear down Baden-Powell's statue.
Electroluminescent paint and / or glow in the dark....That would be cool!!!
Yeah, I would agree that it is likely a one off custom sword. I did have another initial thought, though. The seax like point could also be an improvised repair. I've actually done this sort of thing for a friend. He had accidentally struck the point of his cheap replica sabre on a rock and broke the last inch and a half off. Rather than going through all the trouble of re-profiling a proper bevel and point, he had me cut the damaged portion off to form a makeshift seax point. I would imagine any half decent local blacksmith of the period could have done the same.
Possibly a custom piece for a retired soldier. A larger man who wanted a weapon he was used to but beefed up to play to his strength.
Very interesting sword, it resembles the 1848 Prussian pioneer sword, the 1856 Austo Hungarian pioneer sword and the swedish Norwegian 1848 pioneer sword and Navy cutlass of the same period. But none of them exactly, although very similar in look.
I've saw something similar few years ago in book. It was german. It was named "hunting sword". But it was much older, from 17 cent. if I remember...
Im enjoying these mystery weapon videos. Would love to see some videos on Filipino weapons. Great video.
A time traveler from the 21st century walked into a German smithy and asked to make him a heavy sword from video games. More weight, more damage. The smith did not argue.
Could it be a lomger sword that's been cut-down after being damaged? Would explain the thickness if it's missing the end part.
Reminds me of some Scandinavian "faskinkniv" they didn't like metall handels in their swords and knifes. But then the last rivet should be slightly offset and hollow for placing a lanyard.
From the look of it and how you describe it's heft I would lean strongly in the direction of "Faschinenmesser" (fascine knife, so, yeah, pretty much a pioneers' sword). Models from both Baden and Saxony come pretty close in some regards, but overall not close enough to call it a hit. Wouldn't be surprised if it was tested somewhere between Saxony and Baden for a bit to see if the unusual blade shape would prove worthwhile.
It looks similar to other short swords ive seen from Colonial Philipines. South East Asia also has a tendency for thick blades.
I think that some person just made a scramasax copy for some purpose, most likely personal use, because he/she liked it. Just esthetically. or for some defence (you don't realy have need is scramasax if your opponent will not have armor, shield, although it is also used to smash opponents weapons and heavy cut attacks). Fat blade in these swords is used also for durable deflection of blows (not razor if the blade, it's side), so it is sorta ultimate defence.
Faschinenmesser is perhaps a useful search term, judging by the image results
Reminds me of a Civil War artillery sword. They had to clear brush for cannons and so forth.
Havent seen this kind of sword before. Though it does kinda remind me of some fancy versions of a Bauernwehr.
The pattern in the steel might be a strong indication for Austria, as far as the blade is concerned:
Austria has lots of water power. For quite a while, starting in the early / mid 1500s, their steel making tech in the "Eisenwurzen" around the Erzberg ("iron ore mountain") in Styria and Upper Austria ( de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenwurzen )
was leading in Europe - but mostly based on very advanced forms of bloomeries. The up to 15m high "Stückofen" with water powered bellows were heated just to the point before most of the iron would melt, producing 95% of the iron as a very clean bloom and just 5% as pig iron. That bloom (massing between half a ton and >4 tons in the biggest furnaces) could then be cut to pieces and further treated by huge water powered hammers. To get the right carbon content, sheets of pig iron would get worked in, with repeated folding distributing the carbon throughout the steel.
That kind of steel is called Gärbstahl in German.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A4rbstahl
And yes, we are talking industrial levels of production here - just water power based. At some point, Austria exported >1,5 million knifes (mostly tools) to the Ottomans every year in the 16th century, before the Emperor / Archduke of the day imposed a iron/steel embargo on the Ottomans ...
That tech continued to be improved and used in some areas well into the second half of the 19th century; in very rare cases even into the 20th century, with steam power complementing the water power during drier months ...
So, finding a blade made that way in 1848 sure wouldnt be out of the ordinary for the AH Empire. The hilt looks more Hungarian to me.
Here is a Prussian Faschinenmesser from 1810 with a somewhat similar grip:
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Faschinenmesser_1810.jpg
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faschinenmesser
The blade type looks similar to what i see called a parang ilang or mandau used in borneo and i’ve seen parang blades like that mounted with western or middle eastern looking guards and grips before usually referred to as a parang nabur or belabang.
Looks a lot like a germanic "Jagdplaute" (similar to a "Hirschfänger" but beefier). Could have been made simply for hunting purposes, could have been the regalia of an appointed gamekeeper or could have been part of the kit of a Jäger uniform.
I don't know what it is, but I love it.
It looks very much like a Filipino ginunting with a European style cross guard.
I dont know what it is, but I love it !
My guess was a luxury langmesser.
It reminds me of the ship that went to Ringworld - every piece of equipment on board had a mundane purpose, but could also be used as a weapon ...
Hey matt could you revisit the
Smallswords ability to deal with other weapons. Particularly its ability to parry cuts from larger swords, as well as smallsword and dagger and smallsword and Cape. And , maybe do a demo test cut on how well a Cape rapped over the arm can negate a cut . Been going over a few smallsword manuals ,that is why I'm asking .
It reminds me of the Swedish M1848 infantry Pioneer Faskinkniv but slightly different.
I have seen a similar sword in the US. It resembles some of the Mexican short swords from the Alamo. Maybe Northern Mexican. The style handle gaurd with the the three rivets. That’s not the typical blade but if that’s what you want from the blacksmith. Not sure of the specific spelling Spanish or Cuban cutchya, kutcha, style handle
Really seems like something custom made for a buyer wanting something very versatile
Ok so this is what I found out showing this to my sword guy. The form of it resembles what is referred to as a cutacha (large knife, machetes). It resembles something made from the Collins tool manufacturing company that was the largest exporter of bladed tools to the central and South American market. If you go though a period catalog you may find a comparable model. The rivets on the handle being domed is not typical of Collins the would be flush to the handle. If it is 1840s if it was Collins you expect to see at least a model number somewhere visible on the blade or a Collins marking but being that early and if it was for military or militants contract they might of just marked the year. They were many companies that made fake Collins tools. He seems to think it is a copy in the style of a Collins maybe custom order. Either made in Pennsylvania or Europe to look like a Collins. Someone may of modified a Collins with that blade and reassembled that would account for the domed rivets.
scythes as weapons, now thats something id like to see you cover!
It is a thing in the old treatises. I think Skallagrim has covered it before.
Ther are war scythes ?
My guess: It is an early Klewang of the Royal Dutch East
Indies Army, founded 1814. At least, the blade size and shape closely resembles
such swords from Sumatra, albeit mounted with an European style grip and crossguard.
The hilt and guard are reminiscent of the M1907 Spanish artillery bolo and/or the M1909 Argentine artillery bolo (both manufactured in Germany, if I remember correctly), and when you first lifted it, I thought that's what you had. As Spain controlled the Philippines until 1898, I wonder if someone took a Spanish artillery bolo and fixed a Filipino blade to it (which might tend to explain the uncharacteristic rivets in the hilt)?
That blade looks like a Mandau maybe it was a European soldier’s sword who was stationed in Borneo or maybe it was issued to native soldiers
Reminds me of a bigger version of the swedish faskinkniv, which is incidentally a m/1848. It has the same tone as the faskinkniv, which is probably based on some german jäger-thing, I guess. The grip and color scheme is similar, and both has that choppy look to em.
Well, obviously, it's a "Short sword +1d2 slashing damage"
I don't know how England/European countries regulated personal kit back in those days but it seems to me just as a guy on the internet like this was a custom piece ordered by a military engineer. I say that because you mentioned waves in the steel from hammering and it clearly seems to be a cutter/chopping sword. The reason I say military is the cross-guard and the three rivets look like an aesthetic decision (over other option of fastening the sword). That looks very stylistically like a European officer's sword. So maybe an military engineer or artillery gunner got some sort of promotion and felt like celebrating by getting a custom sword that looked official and cool but was designed for doing his job.
From my uneducated eye, it looks a lot like a golok or parang style blade. Maybe made for a southeastern Asia explorer??
Could we figure anything out by the type of wood used on the handle to better get an idea of a region?
I think it's south american. There are longer, thinner sword/machetes from that exact time period with a similar brokeback seax blade shape. That's a pretty specific design.
There is something about the blade that reminds me of a butcher's tool. You might need to broaden the research beyond swords tool a very wide range of tools. It is also reminiscent of a corn knife, though I don't think the tip is right. The length, weight and haft quality also contradict that, but what the heck? Corn knives can still be bought on Amazon and at least one version is 24 inches long.
Any chance of getting measurements of this...thing? Ova,grip leangth, spine thickness and distal taper, etc. Would love to make similar
That Martini drawback sword is RAD!!!
Tickles the brain/tip of the tongue feeling... I think I saw something like that in a museum in California, in with gold-rush tools & gear...
It makes me think about a scramasax in the principle, a multi task long knife with that blade curved on the top back. The handle and guard are clearly the ones of a hunting sword. I would call it a pioneer sword in the way this weapon has probably been designed to be used in as many ways as possible : fighting, hunting, chopping wood, whatever. This could have been used by an explorer or a military scout. Again, I think it's scramasax inspired.
i think you answered your own question in the end, if its hand-forged and there's apparently no other pieces like it? its almost certainly either a commissioned custom blade or some swordsmith's flight of fancy tooling around with design.
This look like a type of sword that was used by Europeans in Indonesia.
The blade is exactly like many Indonesian swords/machetes and is very similar to the blade on an Indonesian short sword that I own.
I have seen quite a few hybrids where a blade made by an Indonesian/Malayan craftsmen has been fitted with a European type hilt. Sometimes the blade was made in Europe though and simply inspired by Indonesian blades (many were imported as souvenirs) and sold to people going to the East.
The big difference between Indonesian and European blades is that Indonesian blades almost always have a rat-tail tang, so the craftsmen would change the original design slightly.
The asymmetrical shape of the end of the hilt is very similar to traditional Indonesian swords though.
The main reason for the shape is that swords like these were used as light chopping tools. The original Indonesian versions were used as weapons, but mostly as a tool in the forest or on the fields that doubled up as protection against snakes and dholes.
One advantage of the shape of the blade is that it is effective against animals that are close to the ground. The blade is brought down in a chopping motion and the point digs into the target.
Europeans and some Indonesians with strong ties to the Dutch (like the Minahasans) used these kind of Indonesian/European swords mostly as an occasional tool and as a defensive weapon against animals. My grandfather used a similar type of sword as late as the 1930’s.
Well, my first guess was Portuguese, Dutch, or Spanish inspired in South Asian/Filipino machetes, but like a private purchase? Some Mexican/Caribbean machetes also have a broken back, but they are usually bigger blades and thinner on the spine, but really the hilt looks Germanic. By 1840, there is not that much Germanic influence in South America as it would happen later.
I have a similar issue with a Schlager that was found in Panama during an archeological excavation, the museum label it as a rapier, I corrected them (not sure if they followed through with that). It raises the question of how and when a Schlager could have come to Panama, and how it ended up in an archeological site.
Maybe the sidearm for a police officer? Heavy and sturdy enough to be used as a club if needed but still retains the functionality of a sword. As for the pattern, 1848 was the year of revolutions the sword might have seen heavy use then got repaired at a local smith? Or it could have been made by a smith in a cut off town who had no access to the mass produced weapons because of the chaos.
I always wondered if there were swords with additional tools like saw blades implemented like a survival knife. Now I know
3:43 I have to say, that this hunting sword is one pretty piece of steel...
Could it be a broken and reworked larger sword? That would explain the odd shape so the point is where the edge is, and the heaviness since it's only the thick end of a distal taper.
I think it's a custom bush sword. A weapon made to order in the 19th century (A scouts weapon if I did not miss my guess)