Hi David,
Remembering your kaskara isn't a problem; I just wish I could forget it. Jealousy's a terrible thing...
I tried to go to the BM in my lunch break today, but strikes worked against me. Having looked on the website (and it was the Sainsbury, rather than Sackler gallery
), the only kaskara viewable was this:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore...ern/sword.aspx
It's similar, yet different (pommel especially). And it's 18th c, whereas the one I saw was definitely labelled as 20th c. Maybe I was wrong about the similarities- I was working from memory, I'm afraid-but it would definitely be worth you sending in a photo for them to puzzle over. The closest parallels to yours I can think of are this one, and the kaskara of Ali Dinar I was fortunate enough to once handle. I'm no expert, but I think you've stumbled across a high-status weapon. Did you have any luck with Durham, btw?