Cutlass, flat backed with two grooves, some decoration to the top of the blade; the pistol grip is of black wood with a brass finger guard.
It is a North African cutlass or saif, probably Algerian. Second half of the seventeenth century. The stamps on the blade suggest that it is Genoese. The channel on the blade indicates that it is a European export. The blade is short which makes it ideal for fighting on deck. It could have been used aboard a coastal corsair.
Seen by Sue Stronge 2014-01-15. North African cutlass or saif, probably Algerian. Second half of the seventeenth century. The stamps on the blade suggest that it is Genoese. The channel on the blade indicates that it is a European export. The blade is short which makes it ideal for fighting on deck. It could have been used aboard a coastal corsair. Crowley, Tom, 2014-04-24.