12th-early 13th century AD. A western long double-edged sword with tapering blade, the cutting edges with evidence of use on the battlefield; both sides of the shallow fullers decorated with inlay; the inscriptions on both sides begin and end with crosses and leaf-shaped symbols, at the beginning a geometric design of a Greek Patriarchal cross and the joint symbol, followed by the inscription ‘HEXFRHEXFRHEXH’, followed by the joint symbol and a similar cross; a long, slightly curved cross-guard of Oakeshott style 7 with squared ends and a medium tapering grip; stout tang with a round pommel of Oakeshott style G. See Oakeshott, E., The Sword in the Age of Chivalry, London, 1964 (1997); Oakeshott, E., Records of the Medieval Sword, Woodbridge, 1991; Wagner, T., Worley, J., Holst Blennow, A., Beckholmen, G., 'Medieval Christian invocation inscriptions on sword blades' in Waffen und Kostümkunde, Wien, 2009, 51(1), pp.11-52; for a similar blade see the sword of unknown provenance, formerly in the R.T. Gwynn, Morgan Williams collection, in Oakeshott, 1991, type XI 1-2, p.54.1.2 kg, 95.5cm (37 1/2"). Property of an East Anglian collector; formerly acquired on the European art market in the 1990s; accompanied by an archaeological 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.10320-169271. Some letters of the inscription resemble the inscription and the style of the Karlstad sword, in which the inscriptions are laid out in silver, but, differently from the Karlstad sword, here they are gilded. The letter styles on both sides of the blade are alike. The letter forms are to be classified as late Romanic/early Gothic. Like in the Karlstad sword, the inscription is identical on both sides, although the meaning remains enigmatic. The letter X, repeated three times, can refer to a ‘symbol of Christ’, and it is probably linked to the Holy Trinity, but it is possible that the other letters (FR) mean a name (FRANCISCUS?"). If the letter H (repeated four times) with a further barrage in the middle could be read like the N of the inscriptions on the sword from Saint Omer (Wagner, Worley, Holst Blennow, Beckholmen, 2009, p.41) some of the letters of the inscription could be read ‘in nomine Christi’, a kind of sacrum nomen very often visible on the swords of the period.