Reference 15 y.o. girl...Yes, I have one of those as well. She's the quintessential poster child for the American teen. We parents are just idiots, etc, etc.
Glenn, that you for pointing me to this valuable reference of Mowbray's. I have browsed his other books, but not the one you show pics from. I'll definitiely add it to the wish list.
Yes, I also thought it was assembled here with the slightly more primitive slot guard. I'm still wondering if the guard is either copper, brass that has pickled with age or rose brass. Does anyone out there know if there is a non-destructive way of testing/differentiating between copper and brass? I don't want to hurt the patina, though. I've only seen a few swords with copper fittings over the years, most from the Revolution and those just in small fixtures/fittings. Or am I wrong on this? (Have to look through Neumann's again...)