Unknown sword. Cuban, philippines?

Ferguson · 10th February 2019, 03:57 PM

Did some googling and found that it is made by Fernando Esser Elberfeld. You can google that name and see the horse mark and other examples of swords and knives made by them. I THINK it was made in Germany. There was a Fernando Esser company in Germany, and an area of a city called Elberfeld. It was it's own city until 1929. There was also a Fernando Esser in Solingen.

Hope this helps.

Steve

carlos · 10th February 2019, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferguson

Did some googling and found that it is made by Fernando Esser Elberfeld. You can google that name and see the horse mark and other examples of swords and knives made by them. I THINK it was made in Germany. There was a Fernando Esser company in Germany, and an area of a city called Elberfeld. It was it's own city until 1929. There was also a Fernando Esser in Solingen.

Hope this helps.

Steve

Thank you very much!!!!
Your information is very good!!!!
Thanks

Sajen · 10th February 2019, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferguson

Did some googling and found that it is made by Fernando Esser Elberfeld. You can google that name and see the horse mark and other examples of swords and knives made by them. I THINK it was made in Germany. There was a Fernando Esser company in Germany, and an area of a city called Elberfeld. It was it's own city until 1929. There was also a Fernando Esser in Solingen.

Elberfeld get suburbanized to Wuppertal in 1929. His name is Ferdinand, not Fernando. I've googeled as well and in short there is told on a german site that he started in the 1870s to make high quality machetes for the middle and South American market. Hope I don't need to translate the complete site!

https://www.holzwerken.de/museum/hae...erdinand.phtml

BTW, great work Steve!

Regards,
Detlef

Ferguson · 11th February 2019, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sajen

Elberfeld get suburbanized to Wuppertal in 1929. His name is Ferdinand, not Fernando. I've googeled as well and in short there is told on a german site that he started in the 1870s to make high quality machetes for the middle and South American market. Hope I don't need to translate the complete site!

https://www.holzwerken.de/museum/hae...erdinand.phtml

BTW, great work Steve!

Regards,
Detlef

Good work Detlef! Yes, the original company seems Ferdinand Esser, but sometime in the late 1800's swords and machetes showed up marked Fernando Esser. There are a lot of swords out there with the mark "Fernando Esser Elberfeld", above "Acero Fundido" (cast steel?) over "Garantizado".

From the webpage that you cited:

"In 1889 a branch was founded in Hamburg, which had emerged from the company Wm. Ahrens & Co., 1890 a branch in Paris. In 1894 Ferdinand Esser died.
The company belongs today under the name "Fernando Esser & Cia. GmbH" to the brothers Mannesmann AG in Remscheid. 4) "

Steve

Sajen · 11th February 2019, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferguson

Good work Detlef! Yes, the original company seems Ferdinand Esser, but sometime in the late 1800's swords and machetes showed up marked Fernando Esser. There are a lot of swords out there with the mark "Fernando Esser Elberfeld", above "Acero Fundido" (cast steel?) over "Garantizado".

From the webpage that you cited:

"In 1889 a branch was founded in Hamburg, which had emerged from the company Wm. Ahrens & Co., 1890 a branch in Paris. In 1894 Ferdinand Esser died.
The company belongs today under the name "Fernando Esser & Cia. GmbH" to the brothers Mannesmann AG in Remscheid. 4) "

Steve

Thank you Steve,
But the main work was done by you!

And a very good translation indeed, wow!

Best regards,
Detlef

Jim McDougall · 10th February 2019, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferguson

Did some googling and found that it is made by Fernando Esser Elberfeld. You can google that name and see the horse mark and other examples of swords and knives made by them. I THINK it was made in Germany. There was a Fernando Esser company in Germany, and an area of a city called Elberfeld. It was it's own city until 1929. There was also a Fernando Esser in Solingen.

Hope this helps.

Steve

In accord with Detlef and Carlos.............excellent research Steve!!! Thank you!

This well supports the idea of the Cuban/South American possibility for this weapon. In references describing swords and weapons of these regions, the presence of Solingen products prevailed well through latter 19th into 20th c.

ariel · 10th February 2019, 08:20 PM

As to the re-profiling European blades in Morocco since 1920:
Years ago I visited Versailles, and saw a big oil picture of a battle between the French and the Berbers. One Berber warrior ( AFAIR, semirecunbent, right lower corner) was holding a sword that was exactly like the infamous " Berber" one , even with a "reverse" point.
I did not make a picture of it or the artist's name/ date. Stupid of me.....

Perhaps, one of the Forumites plans to go to France or one of the native French Forumites happens to visit Versaiiles. Please look for that big oil and get the info. Would be very helpful and will answer a lot of questions.

midelburgo · 10th February 2019, 10:06 PM

The opening sword remembers me of the Spanish anti-rioting blunt sword. Possibly was some kind of common influence.

Jim McDougall · 10th February 2019, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel

As to the re-profiling European blades in Morocco since 1920:
Years ago I visited Versailles, and saw a big oil picture of a battle between the French and the Berbers. One Berber warrior ( AFAIR, semirecunbent, right lower corner) was holding a sword that was exactly like the infamous " Berber" one , even with a "reverse" point.
I did not make a picture of it or the artist's name/ date. Stupid of me.....

Perhaps, one of the Forumites plans to go to France or one of the native French Forumites happens to visit Versaiiles. Please look for that big oil and get the info. Would be very helpful and will answer a lot of questions.

I would have loved to see this painting......it is always great to have some illustration of the swords we study in context of their use.

These swords (so called 'Berber') were not reprofiled in Morocco, they were brought there by conscripts and forces from Caribbean regions to handle insurgences in the Spanish colonies there. It has always been interesting to see the 'vintage' British blades which ended up in these Central and South American contexts from mid to latter 19th c.
As previously noted, the 'Spanish Main' was quite the conduit for the diffusion of these elements and influences in these times.

10th February 2019, 08:20 PM	#7
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	As to the re-profiling European blades in Morocco since 1920: Years ago I visited Versailles, and saw a big oil picture of a battle between the French and the Berbers. One Berber warrior ( AFAIR, semirecunbent, right lower corner) was holding a sword that was exactly like the infamous " Berber" one , even with a "reverse" point. I did not make a picture of it or the artist's name/ date. Stupid of me..... Perhaps, one of the Forumites plans to go to France or one of the native French Forumites happens to visit Versaiiles. Please look for that big oil and get the info. Would be very helpful and will answer a lot of questions. Last edited by ariel; 10th February 2019 at 08:32 PM.

10th February 2019, 03:57 PM	#1
Ferguson Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kernersville, NC, USA Posts: 793	Did some googling and found that it is made by Fernando Esser Elberfeld. You can google that name and see the horse mark and other examples of swords and knives made by them. I THINK it was made in Germany. There was a Fernando Esser company in Germany, and an area of a city called Elberfeld. It was it's own city until 1929. There was also a Fernando Esser in Solingen. Hope this helps. Steve