Its always good to see we are in complete accord Fernando, as what I was saying is that 'news reporters' did not exactly describe things in terms which us 'hard core' connoisseurs could relate to. I thought that was what you were describing.
I had forgotten all about Cathey's earlier posts concerning French versions of basket hilts there, and that would perfectly explain the 'European' context supposed by Mr. Long in his description. It is quite reasonable that this 'type' hilt would be present with the numbers of expatriate Jacobites whose communities were ever mounting in France.
I wanted to add to your excellent discovery of the news item with another entry I found in :
"Notes on Four Basket Hilted Swords Belonging to the Society" by Parker Brewis , read April 26, 1899.
"Archaeologia Aeliana", The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Upon Tyne" Vol. XXI.
This regarding a basket hilt 'Andrea Ferara' , which notes, "....there are also many bearing a crowne kings head at EVERY SECOND LETTER - this was the mark of Johannes Wundes of Solingen 1560-1610".
As it seems that this progenitor of the Wundes 'dynasty' had his mark punched on a good number of sword blades, but 'usually' in threes, as one with the famed stylized running wolf on a Munich sword c. 1600. On this was his name also broadly inscribed IOHANES WUNDES -SOLIDEO GLORIA.
The triple marks appeared as such on each side of the blade, but with different accompanying words.
Interestingly I found another blade with FOUR kings heads in this linear stacked configuration, the blade similar with the profiled lines along blade edges. In this case, there was no Andrea Ferara, but I need to confirm whether it was on a Scottish sword.
Whatever the case, it does seem that the four kings heads did occur on clearly Solingen blades as described , but there were examples which omitted the Andrea Ferara . It is generally held that the Andrea Ferara appellation was indeed a Scottish market attraction, and on one sword was X ANDREWA FARRERA X which alludes to the notion that 'Andrew' represented St. Andrew (as with these St. Andrews crosses at each end) and the Ferrara (= Lat. ferrum= iron). This is of course highly debatable and outside the scope here, but the point being that the Andrew Ferara within the letters appeared in a number of 'Scottish' cases as you have shown.
As very much agreed by us all, this is an outstanding example and in my opinion quite plausibly to a Jacobite in French regions, as per Cathey's interesting notes. As you have well noted, Solingen was indeed supplier to French makers in many cases, in fact an Abraham Wundes was one of the first makers in Klingenthal c. 1730.
Could this possibly be a Wundes descendant in early Klingenthal using a variation of his hereditary markings, and to Scottish Jacobites in France, further using hilt style for British dragoon swords as produced in the garrison centers?
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