Late 11th-early 14th century AD. A beautifully proportioned iron single-handed sword with Oakeshott Type I pommel, quillons of Style 2; gently tapering two-edged blade with shallow fuller, battle-nicks to the edges; parallel-sided straight lower guard, medium tang and disc pommel with chamfered sides; mounted on a custom-made display stand. See Oakeshott, E., The Sword in the Age of the Chivalry, Woodbridge, 1964 (1994); Oakeshott, E., Records of the Medieval Sword, Woodbridge, 1991. 2.4 kg total, 101.5cm including stand (40"). Previously in the private collection of Dr Demetrius Spanos; acquired from Bonhams, London, 'Antiques, Arms and Armour, including items from the estate of John M. Kauffmann' sale, 23 July 2015, lot 169; accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10886-181120. The sword is of the 'war sword' type, typology XII of the Oakeshott's classification; it presents, like all the type XII swords, a broad, flat, evenly tapering blade, a good sharp point and perceptibly widening below the hilt. It has the usual disc pommel found on medieval swords and straight quillons. However, as stated by Oakeshott, the type XII is the most difficult type of medieval sword to identify, often confused with the type X (Oakeshott, 1964, fig.14) or XVI. The general shape of the weapon suggests a date of the middle of 13th century date, but the blade could be earlier. This observation is linked with the analogy of our specimen with a specimen from Dusseldorf (Oakeshott, 1991, p.82"). The blade of our sword, by comparison of its hilt with the Dusseldorf sword and with a sword of late Viking style and positive date from one of Dr. Leppaho's graves, and an almost identical one from Russia, could also be dated to the middle of 11th century AD. Condition Report Fine condition, cleaned and conserved.