Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This is a fine 17th Century German (Northeastern Switzerland) crossbow (slur bow) with fruitwood stock finely and elaborately inlaid throughout its length with polished, engraved and scrimshawed stag horn depicting a Coat of Arms with Two Lions from The Canton of Thurgau along with foliage, fowl and scrolls in the Germanic style found on wheel-lock pistols and rifles of the 17th century. The flight groove of engraved polished stag horn, iron trigger guard with set trigger, robust iron bow retaining its original bow string. Stock measures approximately 27″ long by 3″ wide and 3″ tall. The bow measures approximately 23″ wide.
Thurgau is a canton in northeastern Switzerland bordered by Lake Constance, the Rhine River, and Germany to the north. Known as a winemaking area, it’s characterized by vineyards, orchards and hills. The town of Kreuzlingen shares a border with the German city of Konstanz, and marks the beginning of a lakeside road through towns full of half-timbered houses, such as Gottlieben, Steckborn and Berlingen.
Watch IMA’s own antique weapons expert Alex evaluate a similar crossbow on History Channel’s Pawn Stars: