African small sword id request

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

Colin if that is the case, I know the blade is rather like a giant hand made nail, why spend so much time on the scabbard??

Because the fancy leather work sells well, might be an answer? While the skill in metal work seems to have dropped off in the 20th century the leather workers do not seem to have been so effected.

Roland,

I think the main thing is if you enjoy the piece. Its quite clear from the photos that the leather work is not particularly old. The line begins to blur at times between something recent made for tourists and made for local use in these areas. At times it may well simply be a case of who buys it.