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Originally Posted by drac2k
Thanks to all for the very useful information.I am still not sure why an Abyssinian would have a sword made with "Long Live the King," in Italian," as they were usually in conflict.The Italian coin could be a war trophy, taken and placed on the pommel.
In regards to the handle, the place where it is broken, it is lighter and shows grain, which is consistent with horn, however, the color and the lack of translucency threw me off; could it have been dyed
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In my oppinion the use of the Italian coin has a purely decorative role. Most likely the maker of the sword could not even read the latin alphabet but liked the coin for its exotic appearance. It could have equally been a Dutch, Austrian or even Russian silver coint but the Italian coin was chosen simply because it was available.
Marius
PS: The hilt looks like dyed horn, not rhino. Rhino is darker inside and has a more fibrous appearance.