Basket hilt Sword for discussion

M ELEY · 10th December 2023, 05:49 AM

Thanks for mentioning my basket, Jim. Many of the German-imported blades were completely unmarked, some with just 'Andrea Fererra', some with just the Wundes family king's head markings and some marked with all of the above! I was unaware of the obviously rare crescent moon markings on these. Very intriguing and important to note here for future collectors. Reminds me of the 'fleur de lis' stamps found on English swords from the mid/late 17th c (specifically the dog head/monster head naval types) that threw so many of us until we pinpointed that symbol also existing in British heraldry. The connection with these crescent shapes with German makers makes total sense as most Scottish baskets possessed imported blades-

10th December 2023, 05:49 AM	#18
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Thanks for mentioning my basket, Jim. Many of the German-imported blades were completely unmarked, some with just 'Andrea Fererra', some with just the Wundes family king's head markings and some marked with all of the above! I was unaware of the obviously rare crescent moon markings on these. Very intriguing and important to note here for future collectors. Reminds me of the 'fleur de lis' stamps found on English swords from the mid/late 17th c (specifically the dog head/monster head naval types) that threw so many of us until we pinpointed that symbol also existing in British heraldry. The connection with these crescent shapes with German makers makes total sense as most Scottish baskets possessed imported blades-