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Originally Posted by corrado26
After my opinion an etching of an old blade can never be useful, it detracts from the value of the whole piece and takes off its longtime preserved original condition!
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Amen!!! and hallelujah! That exactly says it all Udo!
from an arms historian view, that patina is well earned, and pretty much history itself. Aside from stabilizing active corrosion, and minimal repair to damage the rest should be left alone.
The reason I always collected weapons in often rough condition was that I knew they had not been 'dolled up' by dealers, and I could see them as they were in situ in their time. This is important in learning from a forensics point of view, and as I appreciated them 'as they were' and was not displaying them, it was a good arrangement. I call them my 'old warriors'
The 'flower' stamp probably represents a lotus, and is in a strategic position on a tulwar blade, in the upper, ricasso quadrant to left of langet seen on many NW Indian tulwars. Often these are cartouches having Urdu script, and other devices.
There is no definitive compendium of Indian markings for arsenals, but these do not seem to be those, and Indian makers as far as I have known seldom place personal marks.
These seem more a kind of state or perhaps imbuement of some sort given the consistent placement in same location on blade.