At 09:32 PM 1/1/2008, you wrote:

Here's the one I want:
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Unusual-Italian-Rapier-ca-1640_W0QQitemZ190176562776QQihZ009QQcategoryZ1552QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118#ebayphotohosting

That *is* unusual. Those curly secondary quillons are--at least in this configuration--unique in my experience. I wonder if they were some sort of pas d'ane supporting a bell guard that has been lost over the years? That'd make some sense if it's dated to 1640, but I've never seen a smallsword where the quillons and pas d'ane are separated like that.

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