Are these Bidri?

[kahnjar1]

I have to agree with Miguel....nothing here to get uptight about...
Stu

[harrywagner]

I did not expect to be back here to write this, but what can I say. I love my wife. She's been away taking care of her Mother and returned today to find me in a funk. This thread has bothered me more than I thought possible and when I explained to her what was bothering me she reminded me that this was an opportunity to do some good. So I will try. I've not read what has elapsed since my last post. I'm done with that. I really only have one thing to say and that is this:

This is a hobby for me. It is supposed to be fun. I suspect that this site is more important to some members than just a hobby, and we should respect that. It seems to me that the continued success of this site, and any other public forum, is dependent upon attracting and retaining new members. We should try harder to play nice. It's important. Alex, I have no hard feelings towards you or anyone else here. Quite the opposite. I am in your debt.

Now I really am taking my ball and going home. Quitting is one of the few things I do really well and I would hate to screw that up.

Harry

[ALEX]

Harry, good to have you back! I look forward to more of your posts. This is a great place to exchange ideas and learn, as inevitably we all learn one way or another). There are many great people here, it is a hobby for most of us, and many share their joy, passion and knowledge. And arguing one’s point is a good part of it, as Detlef nicely mentioned earlier.
As RSword said, it is important to enjoy the items, and more so if you feel it belongs to your collection and fit your collecting taste. I must admit, I have similar daggers like yours, but miniatures. I got them 10+ years ago and I like them as decorations. It is great that you’re observing the details and comparing quality. you right these daggers are not made yesterday, but I do not think they are early 1900’s, although you see them being described as such on some commercial and auction sites. As RSword and Kubur mentioned, they are late 1900’s. and both made at the same time, perhaps a few years apart, but this is really insignificant in historical realm. The third example, the Jambiya, is a crude repro, it has surface application similar to applying paint via template, it is not coftgari. The blades cannot be wootz on such items, they are always simple manipulated (pattern weld, layered, etc) steel, with similar type of applied "cartouche". The scabbard decoration is never bidri. Bidri uses carved inlay to fill in silver. Coftgari is surface overlay. The technique is really the same since early ages, this is why you see “similar” coftgari in Paul’s book, but the forms have changed, that is important to notice! and these daggers hardly fit into “Islamic arms” category.
See you down the road...

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by harrywagner

These are two Indian daggers that I think are vintage. They are different styles, and made at different times, but they share some common traits. E. Jaiwant Paul, in his book "Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India" discusses a decoration technique named Bidri. I am wondering if that is what these two are?

Harry

This is a perfect example of how posting good, clear, detailed images in the initial post would be most helpful as well as saving a lot of guess work by forum members.