Sword Hanging Hook?
 

Hi all --

Just won this on ebay as a "Middle East Sword Hanger 1890." The seller has a lot of southwestern stuff so I figure it may be from there. But what is it? Is it part of a suspension, or a spur? Any ideas?

Thanks!

--Radleigh

This is pure supposition on my part but if it were to be a sword hanger the way I would see it working is that a belt passes through the verticle slot and is braced around the waist, with the curvature of the lower portion of the sword hanger pointed out away from the thigh. The sword would then engage on the two L shaped pins on the hanger, either through corresponding opeings in the scabbard or more likely through some kind of " frog " that fits over the scabbard while the scabbard would rest against the curved arm of the hanger slightly lower donw thus keeping it some what ridgedly suspended and not knocking against the body. As I cannot say with any certainty what this item actually is ( it may be pot lid hook as far as I can tell you ) but if it were intended to be a sword hanger that is how I would see it being used.

My guess, it is a piece of an old gun. Of course that is just a gut feeling. I look forward to others thoughts.

Do the two L shaped pins turn/rotate? They look as if they might.

I don't know what it is, or why, as a whatsit it's not Mexican like the rest of his stuff? No explanation was really given. Do you have the item?

It arrived in the mail yesterday. The L-shaped pins are seperate pieces of metal, but currently do not rotate and it isn't clear to me if they ever were supposed to and are just rusted still. They appear intended to be stilized birds. There is no decoration and some wear on the outer curve, so the method you propose for use as a belt hook is certainly plausible.

It has no obvious signs that it has been "broken off" of a larger item, so whatever it is it was meant to come off.

As for the where, it could very well be Mexican or Southwestern US; anyone have any pictures of people where swords or knives from this area? How are they attached?

Usually by a leather "frog"