stamp near point of kaskara blade?

[stephen wood]

Quite an ordinary kaskara really...
...except for a partially legible stamp near the point - what appears to be "CLMD". Roman numerals? 1650. So not a date then. And why in such an odd place on the blade? The scabbard has Arabic characters. As always, your theories and opinions welcome... :)

[colin henshaw]

Hi

Unusual - I've never seen a mark near the tip of a kaskara blade like that. The only thing I can think of is that the blade is made from a piece of scrap European iron that was originally from a different, much larger object. CLMD is probably just a European manufacturer's or factory mark.

Regards.

[Dom]

Quite an ordinary kaskara really...
The scabbard has Arabic characters. :)
may I correct a little;
- the scabbard has African characteristics; Sudanese or near by
- Arab is an origin for peoples and their goods coming from or from Arabic peninsula
for instance, Sudanese's are African, Muslims for a very large majority, as well as Abyssinia's, and Somalians :D

à +

Dom

[stephen wood]

...sorry Dom, by "characters" I meant "letters". Between the suspension rings there are two embossed Arabic letters. They look like the number "2".

[Lee]

Prof. Briggs (plate XXI b) illustrates (from the literature) a blade with markings that I suspect originated as stampings on European sheet steel later cut and shaped to be a blade. Does your blade appear to be fully forged, or is it, like some kaskara I have, likely due to stock removal.

I believe I have a takouba with similar markings and I shall begin to work through the pile and see if I can find and photograph it.

[Dom]

...sorry Dom, by "characters" I meant "letters". Between the suspension rings there are two embossed Arabic letters. They look like the number "2".
Hi Stefen
if ... IF they are "letters" they aren't from arabic alphabet :shrug:

à +

Dom

[stephen wood]

...oh dear! What could they be? I assumed they were letters as I'd seen similar scabbard decorations posted here...
...I don't have it yet Lee but I expect it to be sheet steel - the particular binding used at the lower end of the grip to secure the crossguard usually goes with thin blades (often quite corroded) and "cut" fullers. When they do have moons they are abstract. Interesting illustration - I don't have Briggs - does anyone have a scan?

[Dom]

...oh dear! What could they be? I assumed they were letters as I'd seen similar scabbard decorations posted here...
but here is wrote "ALLAH" ﺍﷲ :p
on the other ... nothing .. unreadable :shrug:

à +

Dom

[stephen wood]

... but I've seen the marks that look like 2 on scabbards before - has anyone else seen them? Isn't it H'aa? Like 2 upside down? :confused:

[stephen wood]

The sword has arrived - it appears to be sheet steel - very light and flexible but seems quite old. I had assumed: forged=old, sheet=new...

...not in this case - it seems older than some forged blades I have handled. Maybe the quality of these blades has made them more suceptible to pitting and corrosion.

Does anyone know when the earliest sheet steel weapons in the region date from?

[stephen wood]

...is it possible that MD is Maryland - sheet steel in production there at least a century ago?