River Witham knight's sword with scabbard, 13th century

This beautiful single-handed sword is based on an original that is now in the collection of the British Museum in London. The knight's sword, which dates back to the 13th century, was found in the River Witham near Lincoln, England, in 1825.

A special feature of this sword is the inscription "+NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI+" embedded in gold wire. Despite numerous speculations and attempts to decipher it, the meaning of the presumably Latin acronym remains unclear to this day.

The sword has a broad, double-edged blade with unsharpened cutting edges. Two deep fullers run along almost its entire length. As on the original, the inscription is engraved on one side and a sequence of symbols consisting of crosses, crescents and stylized quatrefoils on the other,

Crescents and stylized quatrefoils. The crossguard and the disk pommel riveted to the blade tang are made of steel. The wooden handle section is wrapped in brown leather.

This medieval knight's sword is supplied with a brown wooden/leather scabbard with a steel guard and mouth plate as well as fastening rings for a sword belt.

It should be noted that this medieval sword is not suitable for show combat. It is designed as a collector's item or decorative object and is also ideal as a prop, e.g. to complete your costume.

Details:
- Blade material: carbon steel
- Rockwell hardness of the blade: 48 - 52 HRC
- Handle material: wooden handle with leather wrapping, steel guard and pommel
- Overall length: approx. 93 cm
- Blade length: approx. 76 cm
- Blade thickness: approx. 5.3 mm
- Pommel length: approx. 16.5 cm (handle section approx. 10 cm)
- Max. blade width: approx. 5.3 mm - Handle length: approx. 16.5 cm (handle section approx. 10 cm) - Max. blade width: approx. 5.5 cm (handle section approx. 10 cm). Blade width: approx. 5.4 cm
- Center of gravity: approx. 15 cm in front of the parry
- Incl. wooden scabbard with leather cover and steel fittings
- Weight without scabbard: approx. 1.5 kg
- Weight with scabbard: approx. 2 kg

The above specifications may vary slightly from specimen to specimen.

The steel used here is not stainless and may show slight signs of corrosion. We recommend regular maintenance of the blade, e.g. with Ballistol, a universal oil suitable for the preservation of steelware.

As with all weapons, we require proof of age when selling this item, as weapons may only be sold to customers of legal age.
Please scan and email your ID, send it via WhatsApp or send a copy by post. If you have any questions, please give us a call.