Trick Sword

This Rapier hides a secret.  It's large pommel has a cup containing a spring mechanism.  When a switch is triggered on the hilt the blade is able to suddenly spring forward an extra 7 inches!   We do not know who manufactured the weapon of what it's purpose is.  The large hilt and the mechanism that it holds unbalances the sword and makes it quite heavy and unwieldy.  It may be that it was commissioned merely as a novelty or perhaps it was produced to showcase the designer's ingenuity.