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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Hi Marc
While many European blades did enter North Africa which were either surplus or trade intended, and were marked...there were indeed numbers of 'blanks' which did come in later in 19th c. whose numbers and disposition are unclear. After the Franco-Prussian war ended suddenly, Solingen was a bit overextended and produced numbers of these blades for export.
Jim
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Hi, Jim
Yes indeed, during the 19th cent. Solingen makers were quite active in the export trade, not only selling complete swords of military pattern to countries in Latin America, Asia, and even to the US, but also sold bare blades to parts of the world which had prior exposure to European swords in centuries past. In many cases, the style and markings were very close to the originals, certainly not current at the time.
Years ago, I had a Chinese sword, late Qing, with a blade that looked for all the world like it belonged on a 17th cent. European horseman's broadsword -- lenticular cross-section with three narrow fullers down the center. And with addorsed crescent moons, and "P D Lüneschloss Solingen" on each side, etched in somewhat rough letters imitating the hand-chiseled blade inscriptions of the 1600s. Only thing, Paul D Lüneschloss did not begin operations until 1810 (they were primarily a military weapons producer until the first half of the 20th cent.). Also, the fullers on this blade were obviously machine-cut, without the slight irregularities of pre-industrial work.
I tried to find images of the sword (taken in pre-digital age) but they are long gone. But I do recall seeing an identical blade mounted in a talwar hilt, in one of the catalogs of that longtime antique arms dealer in Miami Beach, Marv Hoffman, I'm sure you remember him.
Philip