Old Sword Found, Any Knowledge of It or Suggestions for it? ~PHOTOS~

[itsallnewtome]

Hi All,

I found this sword in my backyard. I do not know much about them and therefore do not know if there is a historical significance to it or if I just found scrap metal.

It was found in the Raleigh, NC area.

Please see the attached photos.

Any help or info would be great.

 

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[Erik in NJ]

Welcome to TreasureNet! Can you provide some details as to how you found it, etc? I'll wait for the experts to weigh in, but it looks beautiful even now and probably was quite lovely at one point. Given your geographic area you may have found something with quite a bit of history to it.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I can tell you it's a rapier. The rapier style dates back to the 1500's. Not saying that's how old yours is though because they are still made today. Yours does look to have some age on it though, was it dug or found in a barn or something?

I don't know enough about them to give you any kind of date, but I would suggest contacting someone with a good knowledge of antique arms and have it looked at. If it's an early piece it's an amazing find. Even if it's not it's still a great find, and definitely not scrap metal....

 

[itsallnewtome]

I found the face of the handle flush with the ground with the rest of the sword slightly underground. It was located near the edge of my house while I was going into the crawlspace I noticed the handle face. 2 feet away from where it was located is a down pour spout for the gutters. We have had an abnormal amount of rain here this summer (close to record setting) preceded by draught conditions the previous few years. I guess the amount of water has displaced and moved some soil causing it to surface. It is rather remarkable that it was that close to the foundation of my house and not discovered during the construction of it in 1998. I moved into the house 5 years ago.

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

man that would be something if it has a link to Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony

 

[itsallnewtome]

I am contacting the NC Natural History Museum for some more answers.

 

[Daryn]

Awesome sword. Looks old but not 1500's old; hope it is though. Can't wait for you to let us know what h Historical Society says about it.

 

[stillrollin300]

That's awesome, now it's time for you to get detecting so you can see what else is in your yard.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Please don't attempt to clean it at all until the museum has had a chance to look at it. You may also want to try and contact Ivor Hume at Colonial Williamsburg as he's an expert on Colonial history and relics. The dirt around the area in which you recovered it may contain additional pieces of it and/or additional relics.

 

[Greylock]

That sword is so cool. Those are the type of things I hope to find. Congrats

 

[dfx-kevin]

don't want to be the buzzkill, but it looks like potmetal, i think a real one would be brass handled;BUT I AM NOT AN EXPERT!
must've blown you away, what a cool find, very nice whatever the verdict.

 

[aRustyPatina]

I was thinking the same things as DFX. Those swords were reproduced as wall hangars as far back as the 1920's that I've seen. Some kids probably took one of those apart and played swashbucklers or something. Hope they are authentic though and would like to find something like it just for the rush. Welcome to T-Net!! W

 

[mangum]

I'm leaning towards what dfx-kevin is stating as well. Either way, that's a sweet find!

 

[Daryn]

Potmetal? The thing is dirty and has rusty.Utilitarian swords were made of all steel. Ceremonial and swords of the wealthy had brass and other "exotic" metals for that time.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Yes, now that I look at the Roman figures on the handle, it looks a lot more to me like a decorative piece that may have been made for display probably in the latter part of the 19th century or first part of the 20th century...I hope we're wrong about this, but please let us know what you find out either way. It's still a cool find that will display quite well once cleaned up a bit.

 

[Sawyer]

I don't have a clue as to age or anything else, but I do know that is one great find!

 

[jewelerguy]

looks like a decorative piece to me. probably lost by some kid playing Zorro with it

 

[itsallnewtome]

Hi all thanks for the input and high hopes. However, I have had a chance to poke around with it and I found something that is a bit of a buzzkill. Please see the picture and advise with you input accordingly.

Thanks.

 

[Erik in NJ]

I would assume that the machined rubber grommet would give it away as a decorative reproduction. Looks like the handle part is made up of at least two components that screw into the round disc above the blade.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

thanks..i sure didn't want to be the buzz kill on this one...

great find...perhaps the next one will be the real deal.