18th Century Court Smallsword
This is getting ridiculous. I can’t stop myself from buying antique swords! When it comes to expensive habits smokers ain’t got nothing on me. This one is an 18th-century court smallsword, probably from the continent and estimated to be from about 1730 but nothing else is sure. I got it on Ebay but it passed through at least one legit auction house so I don’t think it’s a fake, though the wire grip looks suspiciously nice so it might be a replacement.
As smallswords go, this is a really small one, such that when I first received it I wondered whether it was made for a child. The finger rings are so small I can’t get my fingers through them, but the dimensions are well within the historical ranges so I can’t complain. There’s some very nice etching on both sides of the blade clearly done by hand, but it’s otherwise not ostentatious. The small clamshell guard seems to be silver or steel with some aggressively-cleaned patina, and the blade had patches of oxidation along the length but not badly. It came with a leather scabbard that has a repair patch and a dent in the chape but still fits. I’m assuming this is a dress sword meant to be worn at court, so it might be at a reach disadvantage in a duel. The edge is not sharp, but this isn’t unusual since these swords aren’t meant for cutting at all. There’s some damage on the edge along some of the length of the blade, but this is most likely due to clumsy handling or foolishness at some point. The only thing about it that really disappoints me is that like all my antique swords, the grip is slightly loose, and it moves relative to the blade. I specifically asked the seller if the fittings were tight and if there was any movement and I was explicitly told no. Here are the stats:
Total length 86cm (34″)
Blade length 71cm (28″)
Grip length 8.4cm (3.3″)
Blade width 1.75cm (0.7″)
Blade thickness 0.5cm (.2″)
Weight 351g (0.78 lb)
Balance 5cm (2″)
It was actually too sunny to take pictures outside today, and there would’ve been too much glare so I had to take them inside. Here are the pictures:
