Koummaya infection

[JamesKelly]

This is my second post, first day posting, as a new guy. I have accumulated American flint & percussion firearms since DDE's first term. Recently I bought a miniature dagger, about 3" (7-1/2cm) long in the scabbard. A friend told me it was a miniature Moroccan Koummaya & showed me some of the knives & swords he picked up while in the Mideast. That may have ruined me. My quick introduction to this field has left me also with a couple of Indonesian knives and a small Indian Kard with Mohammed's Ladder pattern to the wootz and Makara on the handle. No photos yet of that, but when this New Guy's photo gets accepted it will be the original source of my current infection, that little Moroccan dagger.

I am a retired metallurgist and find blades with steel such as wootz and the layer-welded Indonesian blades most fascinating. Live in Michigan, USA.

[A.alnakkas]

Hey James,

welcome to the forum. This koummya is made in Toledo, Spain and is a replica of the authentic ones. A cool decorative piece.

[RSWORD]

Welcome to the forum. There are many of us who have been hooked by the variety of blades and patterns to be found. It will keep you very occupied indeed. If you use the search function you can find many threads devoted to spots and patterned blades.

[NovelsRus]

Welcome aboard, James.

Like you, I became instantly hooked on koummayas (or koummyas for the terminally lazy, like me) from the moment I saw photos of them here. Of course, they're often depicted on TV and in movies touching on North Africa, the Moors, Berbers, Morocco, etc.

You'll find the sheer variety dizzying, in every category you can think of. Sizes, shapes, handle materials, scabbards, hilts, blades, et al, all vary so wildly you'd think the makers were intentionally screwing with us. And the prices are all over the board. Most recently, to the higher end of the scale.

Like you, I bought some nice wall-hangers of the Toledo variety, which I only later learned were reproductions. They looked so cool in the eBay photos, I thought they had to be real . . . had to have been used in combat--maybe even [B]shed blood[/B] back in the day. But such was not the case.

But if you keep searching, going to flea markets, yard sales, online auctions, etc., and--especially--here on Ethnographic Arms, you'll find all the info you need to make semi-intelligent, reasoned purchases. And, you never know, once in a blue moon or so, you'll find a beauty on eBay or KnifeAuction that's legit, aged and worth a lot more than the owner realizes--because he, too, is new at the game. I've made several coups like that--camel-bone handled, real silver and rhino horn, etc., for about $20 or so. True story.

So hang in there, keep studying, keep shopping, but don't spend your hard-earned until you know what you're looking for and how much it should cost.

Best of luck!