Pappenheim Rapier, ca. 1630
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GUEST:
I've had this sword all my life. It's been in my home as long as I can remember. My father picked it up many years ago. It's always been hanging on our wall.
APPRAISER:
And where did he get it?
GUEST:
He got it in Italy during the war in the Vomero section of Naples. After a bombing during the war, it was found, and he brought it to the people that were in the building that was bombed, and they said to just take it. He sent it home, and we've had it in our home for over 60 years, to my knowledge. Maybe a little longer. My father told me he thought it was a medieval sword, but that's really all I know, and I believe it's bronze, but I don't know.
APPRAISER:
Bronze?
GUEST:
I believe, but that's really all I know. Well, the sword is not medieval. It actually is about three centuries afterwards and dates to the first half of the 17th century. And it's known as a Pappenheim rapier. We can see these distinctive pierce cutouts on both sides of the hilt, which sort of made the sword ambidextrous. And the large guards also gave considerable protection to the head. It was named after Count Pappenheim, who was a field marshal for the Holy Roman Empire that was neither really holy (chuckles) or Roman. It was actually German.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
It's not medieval, it's late Renaissance. The name for Pappenheim, it's just sort of maybe an honorific name. It's a very versatile type of sword because it's very long, slender and light. It could serve to cut and thrust. It's made out of steel; it's not bronze, which is interesting because it has this very dark patina to it,
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It’s almost so much so that, I mean, it could have been in a fire. One of the things that you might notice too is there was a mark in here which is very indistinct. It's on what they call the ricasso of the sword, which is the rigid base where it goes through to the grip. At auction, I feel that this Pappenheim rapier would fetch around $3,000 to $5,000.
GUEST:
That's very significant. Thank you very much.
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