What can you tell me about this sword?

mariusgmioc · 15th September 2019, 06:26 AM

I am by no means very knowledgeable about Caucasian weapons but the blade shows very clear signs of pitting and the engravings are pretty worn out. It is like the sword was rusty and then cleaned, with remaining patches of pitting where the rust got deeper.
To me this points into the direction of a genuine blade.

As with regards to the hilt, it appears to be quality work that displays deep black patination with some wear of the protruding decorative elements.
So, the hilt looks to be equally original and authentic.

However, what bothers me is the continuity of the edge.
The cutting edge is the thinest, thus the most sensitive to corrosion, part of the blade. So normally, in a blade that was rusty then cleaned, you would find small nicks in the edge where rust has bitten into the edge from both sides.
I do not see any such nicks in the edge of this blade.
Moreover, judging from the photos, the edge appears somehow rounded. This may be because
1. the blade never had a real cutting edge, being a replica all along, or,
2. the edge was dulled during the cleaning process.
In the second case, the loss of the edge would mean a reduction in the width of the blade, but I cannot discern any such kind of reduction.

So, in the end I am quite confused with mixed oppinions about the sword.

A strong point would be the quality of the steel of the blade. If the blade is stiff/elastic enough to be used for fighting, it would point again into the direction of an authentic blade.

15th September 2019, 06:26 AM	#37
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,883	I am by no means very knowledgeable about Caucasian weapons but the blade shows very clear signs of pitting and the engravings are pretty worn out. It is like the sword was rusty and then cleaned, with remaining patches of pitting where the rust got deeper. To me this points into the direction of a genuine blade. As with regards to the hilt, it appears to be quality work that displays deep black patination with some wear of the protruding decorative elements. So, the hilt looks to be equally original and authentic. However, what bothers me is the continuity of the edge. The cutting edge is the thinest, thus the most sensitive to corrosion, part of the blade. So normally, in a blade that was rusty then cleaned, you would find small nicks in the edge where rust has bitten into the edge from both sides. I do not see any such nicks in the edge of this blade. Moreover, judging from the photos, the edge appears somehow rounded. This may be because 1. the blade never had a real cutting edge, being a replica all along, or, 2. the edge was dulled during the cleaning process. In the second case, the loss of the edge would mean a reduction in the width of the blade, but I cannot discern any such kind of reduction. So, in the end I am quite confused with mixed oppinions about the sword. A strong point would be the quality of the steel of the blade. If the blade is stiff/elastic enough to be used for fighting, it would point again into the direction of an authentic blade. Last edited by mariusgmioc; 15th September 2019 at 06:40 AM.