Agreed, that is a lovely ukiran...and i also prefer your new choice of mendak.
Age is always a difficult thing to judge and they have gotten really good at different techniques of artifical aging. Regardless, i find this to be a very attractive keris, but i also understand the desire to KNOW one way or the other. I believe Kai Wee is correct that you can, from time to time, still find that excellent deal on a great old keris, and perhaps this is one of those times. As Alan suggested though, if one considers the price AND the source the answer might be implied. Either way i like it.