Thank you so much Udo!! Wonderful examples, and clearly the Prussian connection would be quite likely toward this basket hilt blade as well as Austrian. It is interesting how this unusual feature, most esoteric, did filter into the swords used by various national cavalries in the 18th century.
Serdar, the purposes of the notch remain unclear, but the possibilities I noted in my earlier posts. One of the first thoughts I had when I first noticed these notches in Eduard Wagners drawings of 1967, was 'were these damaged'? and if so, why would he include such infractions in his art?
That was why I contacted the museums that held the swords he drew, to obtain photos to confirm that these swords indeed had 'notched blades'.
My queries and efforts over many years brought others to wonder, why was I striving to discover answers for such a 'triviality' ?
As said by Holmes, trifles often hold important clues
