An interesting Yataghan sword-stick for comment & analysis!

[Nihl]

Originally Posted by Kubur

The grips are, of course, from the Balkans, but the sword stick might be North African.

Ah so big eared Yataghans like that are balkan in origin, not (anatolian) turkish? Good to know!

Also yes for everyone else hopefully I will be able to post better pictures of it soon, assuming it arrives today.

[Nihl]

Update: it arrived this morning! I have to run some errands today however so I probably won't be able to take, let alone post, images until the early evening. Initial impressions though are that it's quite nice! It's definitely not a super professionally made piece (i.e. made by a super skilled artisan), but I very much like how rugged & functional it feels, outside of the fragile handle lol.

Overall length is 38.5 inches, blade length is 18.5 inches, handle 8 inches including the ear protrusions, with the scales themselves taking about 4.5 inches of the total hilt length (the part of the hilt you can actually hold is 5 inches).

Everything is surprisingly solid, and the only movement is in the metal collar that connects the handle to the scabbard. There have clearly been numerous repairs to the wood and ivory over the years, as you guys will see once I post pics. The blade is of an elongated diamond shape, tapering steadily to the tip. The edges are indeed blunt but the tip is still very pointy and interestingly there's a section of the blade close to the guard that actually was beveled and sharpened at one point, perhaps for utilitarian purposes. The scales now appear to me to be clearly walrus ivory, as there are sections that feature that characteristic warbled texture

Apologies if this update doesn't provide much substance for anyone to comment on, but I figured I'd just get my initial thoughts/observations out there. Close up pics and "review" coming soon lol

[Jim McDougall]

Nihl, this is an incredibly unique item!! and with remarkably exotic character.
I very much agree with Marius' well described observations, especially with the fact that like many ethnographic weapons, regional classification of 'yataghans' is often difficult. As noted the larger 'eared' examples are typically regarded as Balkan, and within the Ottoman Empire. With those two very broad denominators, it is often hard to define more specific attribution.

While reference material on sword canes and walking sticks is very esoteric, and I dont know offhand of any specialized works, it seems that most likely general antique references might have some insights.

I like your approach recognizing the romantic character of such an exotic and clearly personalized item. It is clearly a case of the Kipling-esque "East meets West' in the combining of the sword cane concept to the traditional yataghan weapon, and very likely signifies colonial times. The Ottomans by the mid to latter 19th century were keen on adopting western ideas, weaponry and fashion. The notion of such a fashionable weapon by a member of standing in Ottoman context or gentleman in European gentry is hard to resist.

You have certainly piqued my interest in sword canes, so now I see another obsessive quest to find more .........thanks Nihl!!!
Absolutely wonderful item, well done!

[Nihl]

Alright sorry for the delay folks! I tried to take these pics in one go, so if they're a bit rough around the edges then my apologies. This first post will be focused around the hilt, with the next around the scabbard, fittings, and blade. Let me know what you think or if there's anything you want a specific closeup of.

Also thanks for the positive words Jim! I had a feeling you would appreciate this one

[Nihl]

Pt.2

[Kubur]

Mmmmm nice screws and nail, definitively something recent, early or mid 20thc.

The blade doesn't look European to me and the scabbard is flyssa like type...

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Mmmmm nice screws and nail, definitively something recent, early or mid 20thc.

The blade doesn't look European to me and the scabbard is flyssa like type...

Well, the blade looks pretty European to me, and while I understand the similarities with flyssa scabbards (two wooden halves kept together by metal bands), I do not believe this is a strong enough indication towards African origin. But this may change depending on the answer to my question below.

The scales on the other hand, appear quite clearly to be of walrus ivory, and indeed of a more Balkan shape (albeit this attribution is quite fuzzy since skills and styles travelled and overlapped greatly within the Ottoman Empire).

Question: Are the metal bands of the scabbard continuous (like metal rings) or are they metal bands surrounding the scabbard and having the ends joined together by bending (flyssa style)?

PS: The metal rings/bands on the scabbard can also be a later addition.

[Nihl]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Mmmmm nice screws and nail, definitively something recent, early or mid 20thc.

Those repairs certainly are, yes. Somehow I doubt the scales were that fractured when they were originally attached...

That said, the screws themselves actually look rather roughly made, so I suppose they could be original with the piece if the whole thing was made earlier. Maybe late 19th or something like that.