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Late 18th Century Sword Named to an Officer of the Dutch East India Co
Guns International #: 100874104 Seller's Inventory #: 31642
Category: Edged Weapons Pre 1900 - Military Collectible US
Seller's Information
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Seller: Joe Salter com
Company: Down East Antiques - Joe Salter
Member Since: 9/10/10
First Name: Garrick-March-Jim-Joe
Last Name: Salter
State: New Hampshire
Zip: 03031
Country: United States
Phone: (603) 732-4000
Fax: (603) 732-4200
Platinum Seller
Number of Active Listings: 1200
Total Number of Listings: 20216
Seller: FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns.
FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS OVER $500! We also have a 30 day Inspection Period and NOT a 3 day Inspection.
Payment Types Accepted: We take all major credit cards with NO CREDIT CARD FEES! Also Check or Money order.
About Us: Joe Salter has been in the Antique and Collector Weapons business for 60 years as both a collector and dealer. Our company is based in Southern New Hampshire and we have had an internet based store front for the past 20 years. We are federally licensed and deal in all types of firearms and related material. We offer free Shipping for orders over $500.
Description:
This is a handsome sword that measures 38" overall with a 32" straight, unfullered blade that has decorative engraving along its entire length. The steel has an overall mottled gray patina with mild surface freckling throughout, heaviest toward the tip. There are simple geometric designs repeated along the entire length of the blade on both sides, with coats of arms and both martial and civil vignettes in the spaced breaks. The obverse forte is engraved with a dedication in Dutch: “MARGARITHA / VELGE / TOT EEN / GEDAGTENIS / AAN GIRRIT / LEENDERT / VELGE" that has traces of gold filling remaining within the letters. The solid brass hilt has a heart-shaped counterguard, single forward swept quillon, simple knucklebow, grooved grip, and an urn-shaped pommel. The brass has an overall dark ochre patina with about 15-20% of the original gilt finish remaining, mostly on the protected areas. The scabbard is no longer present. The declaration on the forte is apparently a dedication to the memory of (or a remembrance of the service of) Girrit Leendert Velge by Margaritha Velge (we assume she was his wife). Velge was the accountant and dispenser for the comptoir of the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) at Malaka (now Malacca in modern day Malaysia). He is listed in the collected archives of the Malaka outpost as still employed there in 1786 when he sold a two-masted boat to a Chinese merchant. In the archives his name is given as “Gerrit Leersdert Velge", which is almost certainly a misreading of the handwritten ledger. Authentic V.O.C. artifacts are extremely rare in the U.S. and this example rates about very good overall. {Ref. “The Lost Archives of Malaka: Are They Really Lost?" by M.R. Fernando – Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society Vol. 78, No. 1; 2005}
SOLD
Manufacturer: Dutch
Model: Sword