More info about the saber here:

A well-forged blade of qiangang construction with wavy layered pattern. Edge plate is well contrasted with the body and of considerable hardness. It has a single deep fuller on each side with a well-defined raised backedge. All surfaces are even with no signs of excessive polishing. Spine and edge contours are smooth arcs without noticeable deviation. Blade in new polish with isolated remains of pitting. The left side has a deeple chiseled cartouche with five swastikas, referring to the five blessings of life: health, lots of offspring, luck, fortune, and a peaceful death. The characters on the right side are fu and lu, Fu for luck and lu for good fortune, it also describes an official's salary. A very rare saber, probably dating from the 17th century. It shows signs of high quality manufacture and rather unusually for blades of its age its contours have not been disfigured by extensive grinding and repolishing.