Fencing foil 19th century forge identification needed

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by katana

Hi William

Are you sure its not L*F ... and then seperately ...RES.. the type face and size is different.

Could L*F mean the hilt is Left handed French

Regards David

There you go again David! I cannot say enough how much I really admire that thinking cap of yours!! I agree with William, very innovative guess .

In discussions I have had with some individuals who are quite well versed in fencing antiques, it has been noted that there is very little, if any, actual published material on makers and outfitters that would catalog markings and thier names. Most organized fencing was, from what I understand, a 19th century to present ,activity, then sport.

Where markings, names and stamps of manufacturers are not found in the usual compilations, such as Walther, Bezdek, Gyngell and others, then it may be that commercial listings and registers might have information. These are complex in trying to work through, and often not easily accessible.

It has been suggested that the primary reference source for such focused detail is typically auction or sale catalogs. I do know that certain auction houses used to feature categorized groupings that actually noted fencing items, not sure if they still do..Wallis & Wallis was one.

While this doesnt really help with this case, I just thought it might offer some general perspective on researching fencing items, which I think is a most fascinating, and relatively untapped field of weapons study.

I'm always grateful for the contributions William always places here, and for the insight on this esoteric topic he shares.

All best regards,
Jim