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Old 6th August 2019, 12:25 AM   #6
M ELEY
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NC, U.S.A.
Posts: 2,066
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Yeah, what Jim Said! In all seriousness, Jim has succinctly described this hanger to a 'T'. The German made blades of this period (late 17th/early 18th) often had king's head markings. Those coming from Germany often had the 'Wundes' king's head stamp. The Wundes smiths came from a long line of craftsman. Their mark, however, was a king's head in side profile. The stamp on the two swords thus shown could very well be an English maker, possibly imitating the German Wundes mark so very very frequently found on hanger's of this period. I keep assuming the 'crown' makes it a king stamp, but as Jim has shown in the pic of the Green Man from the tavern sign, it could very well be a stylized crown of leaves.

Just a quick note on the second hanger (Mel's sword). The abrupt guard jutting straight out from the piece is an indication that it is one of the earlier types of this sword (ca. 1690's). Likewise, although these hangers were used originally as hunting implements, they became popular with both infantry and naval officers due to their resilience in the field and their length. Both of these hangers have a longer blade than those typically found on hunting pieces, so I suspect a military vs civilian use.

Last edited by M ELEY; 6th August 2019 at 02:50 PM.
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