Hi folks,
I'm offering a bronze sword for sale. It's a replica of a late Bronze Age sword from Ireland, the kind used in the Dowris Phase of Irish Archaeology.
The blade is of Copper/Tin alloy, and the handle is of bog oak. The specific bog oak I used for the handle is of an extremely old age, excavated from very deep below a bog, and dates to before the last Ice Age, so it is at least 30,000 years old [yup, thirty thousand], making the sword something of an artifact in itself, even though the blade is relatively recent.
Like most of these type of weapons, it is unsuitable for re-enactment style combat, as it has a butter-knife edge. Not that you would want to go hitting this beauty off shields, or other weapons for that matter. It's far too nice for that. It is not sharpened, but could be easily made so should you really want to. The handle design is based on finds made of metal, since the organic remains of the original rarely survives. The pommel is of a blind wedge type, a design that best explains the shape of the bronze handle, and is a clever method of attachment. The wooden handle plates are fixed through the sword with bronze rivets, as per the originals.
The photo shows the sword photographed next to a 2 euro coin for scale.
Price is €150.
Ask any questions you want here on the public boards, PM me if you're interested in buying.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Billy.