Ugly koummya / nice old blade

francantolin · 20th May 2020, 09:33 PM

Hello everybody,

I found this koummya, the scabbard is ugly and not really well made the hilt is nice but not in good conditions

one nice thing: the blade seems really old thick, and really well made, interesting with the holes,
I think it's my first ''real'' koummya dagger,
not a decorative item

francantolin · 20th May 2020, 09:39 PM

I hesitate to take off the ferrule and put it on the scabbard
so we easily could see the basis of the blade with the holes decorations,
( spanish-italian stiletto holes style !?! )

( I think the ferrule is a later add, nothing fantastic )

Or just transfer the blade on another nice koummya ...

What do you think ?

Kind regards

Kubur · 20th May 2020, 09:39 PM

Ciao
i disagree your koummya is really good.
Including the scabbard, the problem is with the ears they have been badly repaired... The hilt is good too.
good catch
Why do you think the ferrule is more recent? I dont think so.

francantolin · 20th May 2020, 09:49 PM

Hello Kubur,

thank you !

It's just that the ferrule was just fixed with a single brass nail
( easy to take off )

And I wonder why the ''nice blade holes'' were hidden by this ferrule who has a lot of bad repairs and welding ( as on the scabbard...)

francantolin · 20th May 2020, 11:27 PM

Looks better like that !?!
...

JBG163 · 21st May 2020, 12:06 AM

That's why north arabic weapons are so hard for me to understand.
As Francan, i would assume the blade was good, but not the scabbard and the hilt ...
Kubur, is there any criteria to know in order to identify a real scabbard/hilt ?

Kubur · 21st May 2020, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBG163

Kubur, is there any criteria to know in order to identify a real scabbard/hilt ?

I'm afraid that it is called experience...

In this link, even the "real" or "good" koummya is from the early 20th c. 1910-1930.

http://vikingsword.com/ethsword/guide.html

It depends if you want something nice or something used by people "ethnographic".

Kubur · 21st May 2020, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francantolin

It's just that the ferrule was just fixed with a single brass nail
( easy to take off )
And I wonder why the ''nice blade holes'' were hidden by this ferrule who has a lot of bad repairs and welding ( as on the scabbard...)

One nail is normal.
You are right the ferrule was repaired too, only half is original.

The blade holes are partly hidden, and this is normal with your koummya.
They had to fix the imported blades to the hilts.
Look at my hanzer koummya, half of the stamp is under the ferrule. And I have seen many of them like that.
Your blade is Spanish, my blade is French but I have some koummya with English blades (again half of the maker's name under the ferrule).

JBG163 · 21st May 2020, 11:47 AM

Thanks for the link Kubur !
I clearly see the quality of work in the one you post ! Thanks for sharing

francantolin · 21st May 2020, 05:59 PM

Whaoh,

Thanks Kubur for your precious informations !

I thought too it looked more like an old european blade ( 19th earlier maybe )
more than an oriental production ( ''steel feeling'' )

Kind regards !!

shayde78 · 25th May 2020, 04:28 AM

In my limited opinion, the ferrule on koummya served a function, even at the expense of aesthetics. It is designed to fit over the mouth of the standard tip keep our grit. If it covered decorative elements of the blade, so be it. Overall, a nice authentic example of one of these and intended to be more than a letter opener (unlike so many of those made for those who travel).

20th May 2020, 09:33 PM	#1
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 877	Ugly koummya / nice old blade Hello everybody, I found this koummya, the scabbard is ugly and not really well made the hilt is nice but not in good conditions one nice thing: the blade seems really old thick, and really well made, interesting with the holes, I think it's my first ''real'' koummya dagger, not a decorative item Attached Images

20th May 2020, 09:39 PM	#2
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 877	I hesitate to take off the ferrule and put it on the scabbard so we easily could see the basis of the blade with the holes decorations, ( spanish-italian stiletto holes style !?! ) ( I think the ferrule is a later add, nothing fantastic ) Or just transfer the blade on another nice koummya ... What do you think ? Kind regards Attached Images

20th May 2020, 11:27 PM	#5
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 877	Looks better like that !?! ... Attached Images

20th May 2020, 09:39 PM	#3
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	Ciao i disagree your koummya is really good. Including the scabbard, the problem is with the ears they have been badly repaired... The hilt is good too. good catch Why do you think the ferrule is more recent? I dont think so.

20th May 2020, 09:49 PM	#4
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 877	Hello Kubur, thank you ! It's just that the ferrule was just fixed with a single brass nail ( easy to take off ) And I wonder why the ''nice blade holes'' were hidden by this ferrule who has a lot of bad repairs and welding ( as on the scabbard...)

21st May 2020, 12:06 AM	#6
JBG163 Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: France Posts: 207	That's why north arabic weapons are so hard for me to understand. As Francan, i would assume the blade was good, but not the scabbard and the hilt ... Kubur, is there any criteria to know in order to identify a real scabbard/hilt ?

21st May 2020, 11:47 AM	#9
JBG163 Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: France Posts: 207	Thanks for the link Kubur ! I clearly see the quality of work in the one you post ! Thanks for sharing

21st May 2020, 05:59 PM	#10
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 877	Whaoh, Thanks Kubur for your precious informations ! I thought too it looked more like an old european blade ( 19th earlier maybe ) more than an oriental production ( ''steel feeling'' ) Kind regards !!

25th May 2020, 04:28 AM	#11
shayde78 Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 445	In my limited opinion, the ferrule on koummya served a function, even at the expense of aesthetics. It is designed to fit over the mouth of the standard tip keep our grit. If it covered decorative elements of the blade, so be it. Overall, a nice authentic example of one of these and intended to be more than a letter opener (unlike so many of those made for those who travel).