The first purely civilian sword, developed during the late Renaissance as a light weapon that could be worn without discomfort off the battle field and maneuvered easily by even men of small stature. The Spanish built a cut and thrust weapon (which did neither well) and termed it the ‘espada ropera’, or dress sword as opposed to the arming sword. The English mispronounced the term until it became known as the ‘rapier’. At first merely variations on existing broadsword hilts, it eventually fully protected the hand.
Rental prices are for the first 30 days rental per sword. The sword you receive may have a different grip or pommel than that shown in the photo.
these first two styles are available only as sales, not rental.
213 – SPANISH CUP
The quintessential cavalier rapier. Found throughout Europe by the 1600’s, especially popular among soldiers because of the superior hand protection. The Three Musketeers go-to. Steel quillons and aluminum guard.
for sales (new) : epee or demi-epee blade $ 181
214 – VERONESE CUP
The shallow dish/cup gives good hand protection, but far lighter than the above Spanish Cup, giving superb point mobility. Steel quillons and aluminum guard.
for sales (new) only : epee or demi-epee blade $ 156
Then, Hilts At Their Most Elegant……
made of flowing strands of steel in an open-work design.
230- GOSSAMER SWEPT HILT
Designed for us by Swordcrafters of San Diego. Its graceful curves give it both elegance and strength.
rent – epee or demi-epee – [$32]
sales (new) – epee or demi-epee blade $ 215
232- STANDARD SWEPT HILT
Classic design. Used throughout Europe not only as a civilian rapier guard but also by soldiers in the field on their single hand broadswords. The complex steel design was meant to trap an opponent’s blade.
rent – epee or demi-epee – [$38]
sales (new) – epee or demi-epee blade $ 228
215- CAPODIMONTE
A double ring steel guard provides good protection and fast response. These and the other swept hilt varieties of rapier guards were designed to both protect the hand against cuts yet keep the sword as light as possible. [pommels and handles will vary]
rental – epee or demi-epee – [$41/month]
to buy (these are used items from the rental stock – no new swords) – epee or demi-epee – $182
[but I do make sure to put on a brand new blade when you buy one]
208 – VENETO
Inspired by the first rapier hilts of the late 15th century. Similar in style to those ordered by the Council of Ten for the Palazzo Doge. Steel hilt and wood handle. I have only four of these hilts left.
rental – epee or demi-epee – [$35/month]
to buy (these are used items from the rental stock – no new swords) – epee or demi-epee (or even as a matching dagger with a 13″ blade) – $167
[but I do make sure to put on a brand new blade when you buy one]
Lastly, the Rapier in Transition……
toward the middle of the 17th century, rapier hilts begin the slow decrease in size before becoming the smallsword of the 1700’s
234- SCARAMOUCH
This transitional rapier has a full steel guard and knuckle bow, and is designed to cover a broad historical sweep, from birth of the full rapier circa 1620 to the end of the civilian dueling sword circa 1850. It is a wonderful addition to any props cabinet and an excellent all-around dueling weapon.
to rent: epee or demi-epee – [$28]
sales (new): epee or demi-epee $ 168
The best bang for your props dollar. But don’t let the low prices fool you – these are all fight-worthy swords!
102 – BASIC SWORD
This is the common “foil” used for modern fencing. But we all know that foil blades are far too “whippy”, which makes them unsafe for stage combat. That’s why these are fitted with epee blades, the industry standard for theatrical combat. This is a great inexpensive way to cover a large stage combat class, so fill up your props cabinet! No frills but fully fight worthy. Wood handle, hexagonal steel pommel and 4″ aluminum guard.
Believe it or not, this is similar to what the Olympians use to compete in the sabre division. It’s come a long way from the cavalry sabre, and is several pounds lighter. This guard shape has been the most popular sword we carry, providing excellent hand protection and fits a wide time period. When fitted with an epee blade this is what Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone used in The Mark of Zorro.
to rent: epee or demi-epee – [$13.50]
to buy (new): epee or demi-epee – $81
503 – CAP’N STUBBY – By the way, I also have this sword set up with a six inch blade stub, ready for use in shows such as The Play That Goes Wrong. Same prices as above, since I had to sacrifice a perfectly good epee blade!
104 – FIORE d’ITALIA
Hard-wood handles and full steel pommels. A little elegance with these beautiful, versatile dueling swords. Based on an Italian practice foil of the 1820’s, our version is strong, light, responsive and classy.
Excellent simple sword, especially when the look needs to be more warrior than duelist. No knuckle protection, and the specific profile of the guard may be slightly different than as shown.
to buy either full epee (T25) or demi-epee (T24) – $22
Epee – the traditional standard for stage combat. Pronounced “eh-pay”, the triangular cross section and thin groove allows for stiffness, flexibility, and quick response. [Always use correct SAFD technique.] L= 35″; 6 oz. , ⅝” at the base
Demi-epee – I’ve taken the epee and reduced the size to more closely match the true smallsword blade. Excellent choice for theatres with limited space. L= 28″; 5 oz
Daggers specifically meant for rapier & dagger fighting. Sales only – no rentals.
342 – GOSSAMER COMPANION
The Navarre dagger (above) can cover a wide historical range, but this is a purely left hand parrying dagger of the late Renaissance to Cavalier period (see our #230 Gossamer Swept Hilt rapier). But we can also build them as full-length swords if you request.
to buy (new): poniard dagger – $110 epee or demi-epee sword (use order # 142) – $110
348 – NAVARRE
By the way, the thin poniard blade wasn’t originally designed for R&D fighting, but rather was meant to penetrate the chinks of an opponent’s armor or helmet for the final killing thrust on the battlefield.
to buy (new): poniard dagger – $105 full length epee sword (use order # 148) – $105
T03 – Replacement Dagger Blade
to buy : poniard – $22
Poniard – We simply take a standard epee blade (T25) and cut the length down to dueling dagger length. Light and thin blade makes a perfect match against the common epee or foil bladed rapiers found in most props cabinets. L= 15″ ; W= ⅝”; 4 oz
