Hi Brian,
Well I'll kick this one off then.
Firstly I like it.
I'm not sure what it is, but I always like that in a weapon!! Increases the fun of the investigation.
Whats the tang like on it? How about another picture with a sheet of paper next to it, and trace the blade then draw the tang on as close as you can remember so we can see it. Were there any marks on the tang?
Are there any marks on the blade?
Is the blade tempered or hardened in any way? Is it sharp?
My first though is that its home made or 'improvised' but as you say it does look a little chinese and might look nice mounted on a shaft.
The steel looks like its totally flat, which might suggest its been cut from an existing sheet and not shaped beyond the cutting of the profile.
But even hand made improvised weapons can be nice and have an interesting story to tell. Look at the amount of reused carving knives and the like that turn up! Or improvised trench/combat knives.
If nobody here has any strong feelings for it, might be worth reposting it in the Ethnographic section.
Gene
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