Hello Bob,
I do have a picture in untouched condition, but unfortunately I have no idea, where it is. If I find it, I will post it. All I know about the history is from the incorrect description by the auction house. Judged by the totally dried out condition of the sheath, I would say at least 100 years old. An incredible amount of expensive almond oil was aborbed by that sheath until it was usable again. Cold pressed sweet almond oil is ideal for such tasks. Wood likes it too. It would fit fine into the Philippine independence war against Spain.
I was very surprised to find that very well made differential hardening. To make such an edge with such a strong gradient (edge has around 60 Rockwell) without cracks is extraordinary difficult. This is due to the fact, that hardened steel got a bigger volume than softer steel and by thus creating enormous tensions in the blade.
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