Coteng ended by ebay!
 

This night ended a coteng by ebay and I was outbid the third time by a auction in short time! :mad:

Here the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...vip=true&rt=nc

But want to share the pictures with you.

Regards,

Detlef

Thanks for posting pictures! Very good sheath form. And hilt is good too. Seller says the hilt is sterling silver, but it almost looks brassy, or is that gunk?

Hello Kei Wee,

think that handle and collars at the sheath are from silver, just tarnished. Seller told me as well that it is silver. ;)

Regards,

Detlef

Well, congratulations to the new owner! :)

That is indeed quite an impressive piece and quite a sum of money! It wouldn't take much work to make it beautiful again. Congrats to the winner and sympathy to Detlef...

[QUOTE=Sajen]This night ended a coteng by ebay and I was outbid the third time by a auction in short time! :mad:

this often happens with: Sniping Software (you do not win this quickly :( )

[QUOTE=sirek]Yes, I know but think that my bid just was not high enough since my money is limited! ;) :D

Regards,

Detlef

[QUOTE=Sajen]I lose most auctions due to this problem! :D

Maybe the artificial light makes the pictures look yellowish...
Based on the black discoloration of the hilt I would say, silver / silver cotent.

Nice keris btw. but indeed mucho dinero. One month's mortgage :( One could consider to sleep under the bridge for a month, if that would do the trick :D :D ;)

Best regards,
Willem

Hi Willem,

but when you consider that it is one of the most rare keris forms and that every collector want to have one it's still a bargain! ;)

I have seen and handled a lot of keris which have achieved a much higher prize. :rolleyes:

Regards,

Detlef

Nice Coteng :) Thanks for sharing Detlef. What a lovely piece that would be to add to the collection indeed.... sigh!!!

Hope whoever won it knows which way to turn the hilt :rolleyes:

I realize that i will probably be in the minority on this here, but outside the rarity of this form i would not be that driven to own this piece (meaning i would not consider it a bargain :) ). For me it is always the blade that determines if a keris is for me, not the dress. That is not to say that i don't appreciate nice dress forms (tho one included), but i am not going to collect a keris solely for it's dress. The blade here is not only in a badly rusted condition (though probably not beyond saving), but it was never much to write home about in the first place. It's not a matter of it's simplicity. Simplicity can be elegant and artistic and i believe we see many Malay keris that are just that. But this blade does nothing for me.
The dress is indeed a rare form and will no doubt be stunning if it gets restored, but without a blade of good character at this ensembles heart it doesn't hold my interest for long. :shrug:

I fully agree with you, David. It's solely the blade that counts for me. The fittings may be outstanding, but this blade really doesn't make it for me -- in any event, I wouldn't have bought this piece at any price
...

Well, i wouldn't go so far to say i wouldn't buy it at ANY price....but nothing near this one... :)

Hello Dave,

I am sure he will know! ;) :)

Regards,

Detlef

Hello David,

do you remember my tajong? http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=tajong

The blade was as well in a very very poor condition (post #13) and after a longer bath in lemon acid it was a nice looking blade again, maybe not the high level but good enough (# 31).

I don't think that the blade of the coteng will have a remarkable pamor and the blades of coteng are most of the time rather simple (look here: http://kerisarchipelago.150m.com/webpage/Tajong2.htm or here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=coteng or here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=coteng or here in post #9: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=coteng, the only really good blade you can see in the same thread in post #1.

What I want to say is, that I believe that the blade from the coteng in question will have a acceptable good looking blade which will not be more worse as the ones you can see in the links in up.

And I have really nice blades in my collection which have had a look like this blade in the moment and now this are nice ones after cleaning and etching.

So I still believe that the buyer know why he give $ 920 for this coteng.

Best regards,

Detlef

Well Detlef, i must respectfully disagree with you. Except for your second link i would say that every other example shown here has a distinctly better blade that this example. The two shown in link #2 however are much closer to the quality of this blade, which frankly is fairly low. Clean it up all you can and it will still be a low quality blade. As i stated originally, it is not about the simplicity of the blade. A keris blade can be simple, yet elegant and artfully crafted. The blade in question appears to be neither to me and no amount of clean up is going to change that. The blade in your own tajong example is a definitely a superior blade to this ones, albeit in a bad state of eroded condition.
This really becomes a matter of personal preference in collecting. I find that indeed many if not most Coteng keris have rather inferior blades, but those who collect this form seem far more interested in the dress. This also seems to be the case to a lesser extent with tajong, though i have seen some beautiful blades in those ensembles. Simple, yet elegant and well crafted. Still, the emphasis seems to be on the dress with this form as well. I am not debating whether or not this is "correct", simply that it is just not my preference. For me the keris is all about the blade and the dress, though important, is secondary. This is not an argument for debate, simply my personal preference. I certainly agree that the buyer of this Coteng probably felt completely comfortable with his purchase price, but if so it is because he has a different imperative for collecting than i do. :shrug: :)

Yes, understand your point of view and agree with you that those who collect Coteng are more interest in the dress and hilt.

Regards,

Detlef

Well, whatever floats our boat! ;p

The discussions remind me of why I went from collecting Javanese/Balinese kerises to Malay/Bugis kerises. Beyond looks, there are also less visible qualities in kerises that can endear them to collectors. Ok, I'm not talking about magic or djinn-inhabited kerises, but tough and functional kerises.

I'll never forget the feeling of holding my first Bugis sepokal blade. It was butt-ugly, but it exuded power and confidence. Sure, anyone else might laugh at its unkempt appearance, but not for very long if they find themselves at the wrong end of it. ;p

Some Malay kerises don't look it, but they are tougher than they look. I've been surprised more than a few times by thin blades which are tough as hell and hold a keen edge. I guess there is more to life than looks. :)

Well Kai Wee, i actually like your sepokal blade and don't find it "butt-ugly" at all. In fact i like the sepokal form in general and agree with you about it toughness and functionality. But i also see both subtlies and quality there that seem sorely missing it the blade in this coteng ensemble. :shrug: