A strange choora......

knife7knut · 28th April 2008, 12:16 AM

Picked this up today after thinking on it for a few weeks.At first I thought it was just a great old knife that some one had thoughtlessly re-handled but now I'm not so sure.

The blue material around the sheath I initially thought had been a recent addition looks to have been attached when the sheath was first made. Likewise the scales which are made of clear plastic(plexiglass maybe)actually consist of eight separate pieces very carefully fitted to the knife.The rivets appear to be pretty old as well.Under the scales are pieces of paper(some foil like)likely cut from an advertisement.

What I also noticed is what appears to be a signature of some sort running along the spine above the scales.I have included a picture in the hope someone might be able to translate it.The beginning(or end;I'm not sure which)appears to be a date(1990).The picture might be upside down as I am not familiar with Arabic cyphers.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.By the way the investment was only $10 US so I'm not overly concerned with whether or not I made a good deal.

Lew · 28th April 2008, 12:26 AM

This is your choora. This is your choora on LSD

. Nice one late 1960s I think?

Lew

Rick · 28th April 2008, 12:28 AM

Sweet !
I like it .
Post war perhaps ?
A steal .

RobT · 28th April 2008, 03:13 AM

Hi knife7knut,
It's a well and traditionally (except for the hilt and sheath materials) made piece. May we all make such good deals.
Sincerely,
RobT

ariel · 28th April 2008, 03:46 AM

A hand-made knife of the criminal class in Russia is called " finka" ( "Finnish one"). RobT, nothing in common with Puukko or Leuku

Stacked colored plexiglass/ metal discs ("nabor") or solid slabs of plexiglass was the high-end method of making the handle. Absolutely "dreamy" were the ones with small pictures inserted under the plexiglass; often candy wrappers were used for this purpose.
This is exactly the way this one is made. A Russian-taste souvenir? Idea imported from Uzbekistan?
Would be interesting to know the date of the paper, but I am afraid the Afghanis were not into maintaining provenance

RobT · 29th April 2008, 02:58 AM

Hi Ariel,
The word "Cloth" (and the other letters on that line) is in Times Roman Bold. The fact that the type is pseudo condensed indicates that it was originally set in cold type as opposed to hot lead. This would give a date of around the early 1970s at the earliest. Before the Mac, pseudo condensing was done with a special lens on a flatbed camera. This process was relatively pricey and was almost always reserved for headline type (36 pt at minimum) in more expensive ads. At a rough guess I'd put the type on the hilt at about 18 to 24 pt and the quality of that type doesn't indicate high end printing. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say the type was set on a Mac (or a PC) which gives a date of at best of the late 1980s.
Sincerely,
RobT

ariel · 29th April 2008, 12:22 PM

If you are not pulling my leg, this is an outstanding analysis!

knife7knut · 29th April 2008, 06:45 PM

Thanks to all who commented on the post.Upon looking at the scales a bit closer,I discovered that the paper inserts are actually between the outside plastic and the inside layer.Given that I don't know a whole lot about printing,it appears that the background of the main layer of paper(card)is some sort of exaggerated dot matrix type of printing such as that used on comic book covers and Roy Lichtenstein paintings.There is a different type of background at the end pieces;a metallic sort of like gift wrapping paper only there is print on it as well.The colored squares appear to be overlays.
I was more curious as to what the cyphers on the top of the spine say.
Also this came from the same collection as the two keris I posted earlier as well as an unknown type of knife and a huge tourist style barong with a blade over two feet long and pearl decorated sheath.

RobT · 30th April 2008, 01:19 AM

Hi Ariel,
It's on the square. I started in type just as hot metal was going out in the 70s and I've worked in just about all the cold type jobs there were in the old typehouses. Paste-up and mechanical, camera, proofreading, typesetting and service desk. Résumé on request.
That last part about the résumé not quite so
Sincerely,
RobT

ariel · 30th April 2008, 01:26 AM

In this case.... my hat is off to you!
Just to think of it: what kind of unexpected clues can one get by posting on this site! Such a tremendous breadth of expertise at one's disposal!

Yannis · 30th April 2008, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

This is your choora. This is your choora on LSD

. Nice one late 1960s I think?
Lew

Lew, I think you got it.

In the 70s, before the series of devastating civil wars, Afghanistan was a passage for hordes of hippies on the road to India. This knife holds the spirit of that era.

kronckew · 30th April 2008, 02:57 PM

putting my feet into the shoes of the maker, the latin lettering probably looked as exotic and decorative to him as we think of arabic or farsi inscriptions on our collection gems. interesting cultural drifts.

28th April 2008, 12:16 AM	#1
knife7knut Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 31	A strange choora...... Picked this up today after thinking on it for a few weeks.At first I thought it was just a great old knife that some one had thoughtlessly re-handled but now I'm not so sure. The blue material around the sheath I initially thought had been a recent addition looks to have been attached when the sheath was first made. Likewise the scales which are made of clear plastic(plexiglass maybe)actually consist of eight separate pieces very carefully fitted to the knife.The rivets appear to be pretty old as well.Under the scales are pieces of paper(some foil like)likely cut from an advertisement. What I also noticed is what appears to be a signature of some sort running along the spine above the scales.I have included a picture in the hope someone might be able to translate it.The beginning(or end;I'm not sure which)appears to be a date(1990).The picture might be upside down as I am not familiar with Arabic cyphers. Any info would be greatly appreciated.By the way the investment was only $10 US so I'm not overly concerned with whether or not I made a good deal. Attached Images

28th April 2008, 03:13 AM	#4
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 486	A very good deal Hi knife7knut, It's a well and traditionally (except for the hilt and sheath materials) made piece. May we all make such good deals. Sincerely, RobT

29th April 2008, 02:58 AM	#6
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 486	Times Roman Bold Hi Ariel, The word "Cloth" (and the other letters on that line) is in Times Roman Bold. The fact that the type is pseudo condensed indicates that it was originally set in cold type as opposed to hot lead. This would give a date of around the early 1970s at the earliest. Before the Mac, pseudo condensing was done with a special lens on a flatbed camera. This process was relatively pricey and was almost always reserved for headline type (36 pt at minimum) in more expensive ads. At a rough guess I'd put the type on the hilt at about 18 to 24 pt and the quality of that type doesn't indicate high end printing. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say the type was set on a Mac (or a PC) which gives a date of at best of the late 1980s. Sincerely, RobT

30th April 2008, 01:19 AM	#9
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 486	I'm a typographer Hi Ariel, It's on the square. I started in type just as hot metal was going out in the 70s and I've worked in just about all the cold type jobs there were in the old typehouses. Paste-up and mechanical, camera, proofreading, typesetting and service desk. Résumé on request. That last part about the résumé not quite so Sincerely, RobT

28th April 2008, 12:26 AM	#2
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	This is your choora. This is your choora on LSD . Nice one late 1960s I think? Lew

28th April 2008, 12:28 AM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,290	Sweet ! I like it . Post war perhaps ? A steal .

28th April 2008, 03:46 AM	#5
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	A hand-made knife of the criminal class in Russia is called " finka" ( "Finnish one"). RobT, nothing in common with Puukko or Leuku Stacked colored plexiglass/ metal discs ("nabor") or solid slabs of plexiglass was the high-end method of making the handle. Absolutely "dreamy" were the ones with small pictures inserted under the plexiglass; often candy wrappers were used for this purpose. This is exactly the way this one is made. A Russian-taste souvenir? Idea imported from Uzbekistan? Would be interesting to know the date of the paper, but I am afraid the Afghanis were not into maintaining provenance

29th April 2008, 12:22 PM	#7
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	If you are not pulling my leg, this is an outstanding analysis!

29th April 2008, 06:45 PM	#8
knife7knut Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 31	Thanks to all who commented on the post.Upon looking at the scales a bit closer,I discovered that the paper inserts are actually between the outside plastic and the inside layer.Given that I don't know a whole lot about printing,it appears that the background of the main layer of paper(card)is some sort of exaggerated dot matrix type of printing such as that used on comic book covers and Roy Lichtenstein paintings.There is a different type of background at the end pieces;a metallic sort of like gift wrapping paper only there is print on it as well.The colored squares appear to be overlays. I was more curious as to what the cyphers on the top of the spine say. Also this came from the same collection as the two keris I posted earlier as well as an unknown type of knife and a huge tourist style barong with a blade over two feet long and pearl decorated sheath.

30th April 2008, 01:26 AM	#10
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	In this case.... my hat is off to you! Just to think of it: what kind of unexpected clues can one get by posting on this site! Such a tremendous breadth of expertise at one's disposal!

30th April 2008, 02:57 PM	#12
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,178	putting my feet into the shoes of the maker, the latin lettering probably looked as exotic and decorative to him as we think of arabic or farsi inscriptions on our collection gems. interesting cultural drifts.