More great observations! and I wanted to add more I have come up with today also. It seems a great deal of difficulty in dealing with this type of sword blade comes from semantics. In earlier literature the term 'flamberge' was used in describing 'flamboyant' swords in chivalry, and this later became interpolated with flammard, which described the wavy edged blades we have been discussing. Apparantly a sword which is straight bladed, or with median ridge which does not undulate along with the wavy edges, is a 'flame blade' or flammard. In Egerton Castle ("Schools and Masters of Fence", 1885) plate III, #8 shows a German rapier of early 17th century with flammard blade, straight of course, but with wavy edges.
In these blades, the blade itself does not 'undulate', and these would seem to me to be quite functional. As Fearn has noted, these wide undulations on this example would seem likely to severely compromise this blade in either cut or thrust.
Returning once again to my Masonic case, in looking through "The Smallsword in England" (J.D.Aylward, 1945, pp.18,19) he notes that around the 1780's the 'flaming sword' seems to have been a popular trademark among sword cutlers, and there was considerable competition among cutlers to secure the right to this image. The reason I mention this is that this once again reinforces the strong prevalence of such symbolism that greatly coincided with the fluorishing of Masonry in these times. In a number of cases, there is in my opinion, evidence of other quite subtle Masonic symbolism in decorative and elemental devices on swords both military and private.
Once again to the 'pineapple'......Fearn mentioned what type fruit might have been presumed by the Freemasons to be on the Tree of Life
.......I looked in "Herders Dictionary of Symbolism" (1978), and there was the pine cone!
It is noted that the pinecone crowned the Tree of Life in many Christian representations, and represented power and justice (p.191). What better pommel to associate with the 'Flaming Sword' which stood at the Gates of Paradise in guard of the Tree. The illustration shown in the book of the cone of course looked remarkably like our pommel!
These are just more bits of information to add to all the great perspective here, in trying to resolve the mystery of this interesting sword.
All best regards,
Jim