15thC Burmese Sword

[Ian]

Thanks PUFF.

I'm not surprised that this one dates from the mid 20th C. Although heavily patinated on the blade and ferrules, it does not look especially old. Like you, I had noticed the recent nails in the hilt and thought that the handle may have been a recent replacment on an older blade. But it appears that the blade too is quite modern, although shows signs of use and sharpening.

A couple of questions for you. Have you seen this style of blade in older swords? If this form has been around for a long time, I would expect that it may be quite common, and yet I have not seen other examples.

And why do you think this one has a date when very few Thai swords have dates or incriptions? Why would someone take the time to do that on what appears to be rather a plain and utilitarian sword?

And lastly, where do you think this one was made within Thailand? Do the markings provide any clue?

Ian.

Originally Posted by PUFF

The blade shape might be old in design, But the inscription 's BE 2493 (Buddhist Era), which is AD 1950.

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/thai.htm (translation for Thai alphabets and numbers)

พ.ศ. or พ.ส. 's translated to BE (please enable Thai encoding in your page)

The final hint 's two masonary nails on the butt cap. The round head nail with hatch "#" on it 's considered modern, which 's consistant with the inscription.