Expensive Indian Khanjar

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by Robert Coleman

Here ya go. Is it just me or does the hilt look like it is on up-side down?

Robert

Looks upside down to me too, but the hilt looks like it would fit that way in the scabbard and not the other? So possibly just some weird variation to attract the eye of a wealthy traveller?
Blade looks OK, like the collar, be nice to see close-ups, scabbard looks like it's possibly late 19th/early 20th, hilt is very well carved, nice piercing, could be legit?

But to lay out that kind of cash on pictures of that quality

[Rick]

I'm not overwhelmed by the level of workmanship in the blade .
Could be old and just poor work .

Agree about the ca$h expenditure based on a few electrons ........

[A. G. Maisey]

If it were possible to investigate this dagger I believe it would be found that the blade is wootz, with a piece of iron lap welded to the hilt end to form the tang.

Apparently this was not at all uncommon in Indian court daggers.

I believe the blade has been removed and re-mounted upside down.

The hilt which I assume is jade appears to have been damaged in the area of the pommel.

Here are pics of two similar daggers which came out of India in about 1920 and which have been appraised as Mughal, probably 17th century, by three separate people, one in USA, one in UK, and one in Australia.

[ALEX]

Alan, I second your opinion. The hilt looks like nephrite jade, not aventurine. moreover, does not look anything like modern "mughal" work seen on eBay and elsewhere. overall, quite decent quality hilt. and if it is jade indeed - a rare, potentially 18/19 C, bargain. attached is similarly shaped hilt.