I can only guess that the original hilt was valuable for its metal content and removed possibly by a soldier, blade being too long to be bothered with and as you say not much gold content. Rehilted using metal plates at the ricasso, most likely the tang or hilt just broken off.
It will remain an enigma until someone reveals the provenance. The rough filing could have happened at anytime, someone not knowing it's value and just interested in cutting with it or??
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