View Single Post
Old 6th June 2018, 07:42 AM   #14
Hotspur
Member
 
Hotspur's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Nipmuc USA
Posts: 481
Default

My Osborn eagle pommel sword has a 12 stamp Most Osborn eagle pommel swords (decorated or not) do not seem to display a G stamp and as many but a few) Bolton eagle pommels do seem to surface with the G stamp.

If you have already made up your mind and have run this by Dellar, I can only but continue to be unconvinced. It may take dismantling all these swords we have to look at tang marks as well.

In the files I had linked and mentioned again is an example of the same etch pattern of your bright sword but done in b&g (a set with a prefix of ful in that Osborn folder). Look closely at the US eagles displayed and the subtle differences in etches, both bright and b&g needlework. You'll see the example of the b&g Osborn that mirrors your bright etch and if you bother looking at my Bolton folder, you will see many Bolton examples that mirrors that Bolton I posted with the bright etch. Again, my point that there does not seem to have been a single source of a blade supply and both (at times) appearing with G stamps.

How much has Dellar delved into cutlers row in Birmingham and how many mills and foundries has he indexed? Curious minds and all that.

To me, if a blade is unmarked as to a retailer or known maker, I can only go by trends of the components and blade decorations. It is not just Wells and Upson, nor Spies and Wolfe in the US but continued mysteries such as the John Salter generations and distributions. Osborn styled swords thought to be originating with Osborn and sold through all on that brief list.

Also in my brief two decades of sword interests, as soon as I feel I have reached the pinnacle of understanding about a subject, more is surely to come. Let's see a complete history of Osborn's works to flesh out what is a nice bit of news copy but hardly conclusive (to me) that his smithys were producing those supposed thousands and that his work was above all others. Surely such information would be atop the cream of Birmingham history.

As contrary as I may seem, I appreciate your thoughts and additional notes. If the G was not necessarily an Osborn specific trait but found on many blades of quality; would it not as easily be as some have pointed out that the G and GG were universally used as marks of quality regardless of who made the blade? Both Germany, Alsace and England used the word Warranted before proved, etc came along. Osborn may be one to have demonstrating a unified proofing system and as such the G and GG might denote proofing but again not necessarily only on his blades. With the use of G already explained to be in use in Germany..... wait we're going in a circle again

Cheers
GC
Hotspur is offline   Reply With Quote