June 12-13, 2019 Edged Weapon, Armor, & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/12/2019
The powerful 32" blade is nearly 1 - 3/4" wide at the forte with three short fullers, signed Andrea Ferrara with two X's. The elaborate steel basket, pierced with circles, hearts, and crosses. Signed, as it should be, on the knucklebow "I S" for John Simpson the Younger, admitted to the Company of Hammermen in 1711. The shaped fish skin grip, bound with triple strand copper wire and elaborate copper wire Turk's heads. The pommel of ovoid form, decorated with narrow and broad flutes. CONDITION: Blade is polished but would rate very good for a Scottish sword of this period. Appears to be original to the hilt, very rare and unusual as most of these are composite. Guard is in fine condition but polished. In recesses one can see the original degraded condition, indicative of its authenticity. Fish skin grip is in excellent condition, especially for a piece of this period. Pommel is polished metal. Interior of the guard itself has its original corroded surface. Following the Battle of Culloden 1746, a law was promulgated making the mere possession of a Scottish broadsword a hanging offense. Therefore, these swords were normally very well hidden and often buried in order to avoid the death penalty. All homogeneous pre-Culloden Scottish swords are extremely rare and desirable, and when they are signed by a famous Scottish hammerman such as John Simpson, they are a collector's prize.