Also did some cleaning on the coat of arms. There are three crosses pattee on the chevron. There may be something above and/or below the chevron, or it might just be corrosion. Hopefully windex will tell the difference. Details, like hairs on the lion, are turning yellow. Above the crest is a knight's helmet looking straight forward with a lion on top of it. It also appears to be wearing a crown but I can't make out any details of the crown whether it's open or closed or a coronet or whatnot. I've read a forward facing helmet with bar guards was reserved for kings only, but I've also read this is a 19th/20th century misconception. It seems like many "rules" of heraldry changed from century to century and location to location, and many rules were just made up by 19th century historians.
Is this sword interesting enough to pursue cleaning and identifying the markings? I'm worried it's just some tacky Victorian era fantasy piece and the decorations on it mean nothing.
Last edited by blue lander; 17th January 2014 at 07:25 PM.
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