BC AD Century Medieval Iron Blades Knife Roman Empire Christ Pugio Soldier Antiq
3 Medieval Iron Blades with Surviving Hardware — Excavated, Uncleaned #3
An exceptional lot of three medieval iron blades offered together, notable for the variety of forms represented and the remarkable survival of original handle hardware on one example.
The first is a well-preserved pointed blade with a flat tang retaining a small rivet hole at the base — a classic medieval knife form displaying a stable dark iron surface and excellent structural integrity. The second is a small lozenge-shaped blade fragment with a pronounced diamond cross-section, a form consistent with either a small knife or projectile point, and an interesting study piece in its own right.
The standout of the group is a broad, cleaver-style blade retaining what appears to be its original iron bolster or collar at the tang — a genuinely rare survival, as iron handle hardware of this kind rarely endures intact through centuries of burial. This piece alone makes the lot particularly noteworthy for the serious collector.
All three are presented in found, uncleaned condition retaining their original excavated character and natural patina.
Provenance:
These items come from two lifetime collections assembled by United States Army soldiers stationed in Italy following World War II. Post-war Italy was economically devastated, and local families — drawing on their own personal collections — were selling historical items to make ends meet. These soldiers bought extensively during their time there and shipped the items back to the United States. They returned to Italy several years later to buy more, having developed a deep passion for collecting historical artifacts.
The collections passed from the soldiers to their sons, and then on to their grandsons. The items were subsequently purchased directly from one of those grandsons.
These pieces left Italy in the late 1940s to early 1950s, well before the 1970 UNESCO Convention on cultural property — the internationally recognized benchmark for
Condition: Uncleaned, as-found. Stable dark iron surfaces throughout.
selling as pictured.
more than welcome to pick up at shop in butler pa & save shipping.
022326 jy