Help identify the Spanish bilbo

Jim McDougall · 23rd March 2011, 07:03 PM

Carl, sorry I didnt notice you posted this here as well as on the cuphilt thread Fernando posted. They do make a great cross reference on that thread so for those interested I would recommend viewing that one as well.

As I noted on that thread, this is a great example of the Spanish military sword of the 18th century commonly termed the 'bilbo'. With the elongated triangular profile blade of flattened hexagonal section, it appears to be of the earlier years of the 18th century, though the hilt style is more associated with the later regulations. While typically thought of as a 1728 pattern, these were not necessarily established as a pattern in that year, though they were apparantly in use at the time.

The N M N is an acronym reflecting a religious invocation, which was a traditional practice which dates back further to the medieval period in swords throughout Europe, in this case typically Latin phrases.

These bilbo type swords were typically used by officers throughout Spanish Colonial frontiers, and numbers of them are known to have been used in Spanish regions of Florida, Louisiana and Cuba.

All best regards,
Jim

23rd March 2011, 07:03 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	Carl, sorry I didnt notice you posted this here as well as on the cuphilt thread Fernando posted. They do make a great cross reference on that thread so for those interested I would recommend viewing that one as well. As I noted on that thread, this is a great example of the Spanish military sword of the 18th century commonly termed the 'bilbo'. With the elongated triangular profile blade of flattened hexagonal section, it appears to be of the earlier years of the 18th century, though the hilt style is more associated with the later regulations. While typically thought of as a 1728 pattern, these were not necessarily established as a pattern in that year, though they were apparantly in use at the time. The N M N is an acronym reflecting a religious invocation, which was a traditional practice which dates back further to the medieval period in swords throughout Europe, in this case typically Latin phrases. These bilbo type swords were typically used by officers throughout Spanish Colonial frontiers, and numbers of them are known to have been used in Spanish regions of Florida, Louisiana and Cuba. All best regards, Jim