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Description

Circa 1600 German Dish Hilted Small Rapier/Smallsword.

This piece is an excellent example of the courtly rapier, a beautiful convergence of fashion, self-defense, and the requirements of a dueling culture. At an overall length of 39 1/2-inches with a 33 5/8-inch long blade, this beautiful piece has a gilded brass dish guard decorated with a central oak leaf decoration and scalloped borders. There is a fluted section of the guard between the small finger rings and quillons. The grip is of fine twisted wirework, with alternating sizes of wire terminating in woven Turk's head knots on each end. The fluted pommel shows the pean holding the sword together. Weighing only 1.26 lbs., and with a point of balance 2 ¼ inches from the dish, this sword is nimble and comfortable. While a bit early for the height of small sword popularity, this rapier feels like a father of that style of blade, as many small swords from the 18th century share characteristics of this piece's form. We last got to auction off this fine sword in 2021, and we are glad we have a chance to see it again.

Condition: Good. Rust on the blade, heavier on one side than the other. Some trivial nicks in blade. The construction is solid, with no looseness.


Auction Info

Proxy Bidding Ends 
June
8th Monday 9:50 am CT
Auction Dates
June
8th Monday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining 
25 Days 2h 29m 39s
Internet/Mail Bids: 0
Lot Tracking Activity: 15
Page Views: 59

Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid (minimum $49) per lot.

This lot is in: 1 - Arms & Armor Session
(Lots 40001-40360) - 10:00 AM Central Time, Monday, June 8, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]

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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261

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$1,000
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