Early Christmas present "You call it sword...

[Westfront]

..here it's called Rapier."
Today i was visited by a good friend. He owns a tattoo shop and he mets a lot of different people as you can imagine. Some come in and offer weird things in exchange for a tattoo. He also is a collector of bladed weapons so sometimes things match. He got this sword from someone and decided to give it to me as a present.
So here we go!
I need help with ID because i'm not familar with swords, although i'm leaning towards French origin. Some etched engraving on the blade and script i can't decipher. Pommel is missing and looks like rebuild with some putty. Not sure on the handle. No makers mark or stampings found so far.

 

[Centsless Detecting]

Looks more a script No 21 or 91. Wishful thinking?

ah there you go. i tried adjusting color and contrast on the pic but it didnt help. cant imagine too many people have engraving skills like that anymore. beautiful piece you have.

 

[uglymailman]

Outstanding gift Lu. Have you tried the old rubbing with a pencil over a piece of paper? Hope your weather is better than here (18 degs & snow). Good luck.