he he. hajji's angels, i called them. those three were a trip! he did showed me a a nice barung but at that time i was holding back for the one i saw in manila (which i ended up not getting anyways :mad: ) btw battara, that's the same place where i got the hawkbells and malong...

Good to hear you had a safe trip Zel, looking forward to pics. Any new book finds as well?

Another one of these ...
 

well made swords just finished on eBay and the price is climbing. Even though advertised as "Moro" it is not a recognized weapon of the Moro but of the Kaolu (one of the Lumad tribes) around Davao City. The quality is good on these recently made swords, and they may have been produced by a Moro crafstman, but the style is definitely not Moro. This example is a modern sword made mainly for sale to wealthy tourists.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6554400265

Ian.

ian

i was watching that as well. like you, i think it's recent... :(

Holy Bedcovering ! :eek:
Nice piece .

Three years ago this would not have fetched such a price .
I think I'm seeing the prices of Moro pieces declining of late while pieces from other Philippine cultures are on the rise .

Then again I don't think I've seen many real nice Moro Arms on ebay of late ;
many seem to be retrofitted examples .

Spunjer , where'd you find that pic of the guys gambling on the PI thread ?
Those carbines look like WWII ordinance .

Rick:

Not much good Moro stuff coming out of the Muslim areas because of the recent law and order problems in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. The better quality stuff is coming from Davao City and surroundings, which is relatively rich in Lumad weapons.

Ian.

rick,

it's from the 'net. believe it or not, it's a wedding site, lol...

UNFORTUNATELY THE THING DRIVING UP THE PRICES IS THE IDEA OF INVESTMENT POTENTIAL NOT INTREST BY COLLECTORS OF LIMITED MEANS. GALLERYS SELL IT AS ETHINOGRAPHIC ART WHICH WILL SOON BE GONE AND NO MORE WILL BE MADE AS THE SOCIETYS WHO MADE THEM NO LONGER EXHIST. THIS ENABLES THEM TO WRITE UP SOME INFORMATION ON THE ITEMS THEN PUT ON A HIGH APPRASIAL AND SELL AS A GOOD INVESTMENT WHICH WILL OUTPACE STOCKS, GOLD OR ANYTHING ELSE. PEOPLE WITH LOTS OF MONEY REALLY GO FOR THIS BUT ARE USUALLY NOT VERY INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY, USE OR CULTURE WHICH PRODUCED THEM JUST ON THE SUPPOSED BIG FAST PROFIT. AS LONG AS THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH THE CASH AND THE DESIRE TO MAKE LOTS MORE MONEY PRICES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE AND WHAT THE GALLERYS SAY WILL BE TRUE IT WILL BE A GOOD INVESTMENT. PERSONALY I AM NOT A COLLECTOR TO MAKE A KILLING, I COLLECTED BECAUSE I WAS INTERESTED IN THESE WEAPONS AND THEIR ORIGINS AND HISTORY. BUT I GUESS IT IS GOOD TO KNOW IF I SELL OUT MY COLLECTION I WILL MAKE A PROFIT, BUT IT IS HARD TO STOP TRYING TO COLLECT EVEN THOUGH I CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO COMPETE SUCCESFULLY. I STILL THINK IT IS GOOD TO SHARE WHAT KNOWLEGE WE HAVE AS WE WILL NOT LIVE FOREVER AND TOO MUCH KNOWLEGE HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN TO THE GRAVE AND LOST.

I guess I agree with you Barry , but edged weapon collectors are statistically a very small niche market in the entire ethnographic field are they not ?

Talk about un-PC ! ;)

EEK a sword !! :eek: :D

I WOULD AGREE EDGEDED WEAPON COLLECTORS ARE A SMALL NICH AND SOME ONLY SPECIALIZE IN ONE FIELD OR TYPE OF WEAPON. I UNFORTUNATELY FIND EVERYTHING INTERESTING AND IT SEEMS EVERY TIME I HAVE DECIDED TO FOCUS ON ONE FIELD OR TYPE IT BECOMES A HOT ITEM WITH THE ETHINOGRAPHIC ART INVESTMENT CROWD AND IT GOES QUICKLY OUT OF REACH. I USED TO PICK UP THE OCCASIONAL OLD MANDAU BECAUSE IT WAS MISSING THE SCABBARD AND HAD A POOR HANDLE BUT THESE DAYS ON EBAY THEY ARE BRINGING WHAT A COMPLETE MANDAU WITH NICE HANDLE BROUGHT NOT TOO LONG AGO. SO DAYAK MANDAU ARE OFF THE MENU AS WELL AS PHILIPPINE WEAPONS WHICH WERE MY FAVORITE EDGED WEAPONS,MY MOST FAVORITE OCEANIC CLUBS HAVE ALSO TAKEN OFF INTO THE STRATOSPHERE. EVEN MUSEUMS HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME OUTBIDING THE ETHINOGRAPHIC ART INVESTORS. I GUESS I WILL HAVE TO BE CONTENT AND ENJOY WHAT I HAVE AND REMEMBER THE GOOD OLD DAYS. :rolleyes:

I HAVE ALSO NOTICED A BIG INCREASE IN RECENT MADE MANDAU REPRESENTED AS OLD PIECES ON EBAY AND SUSPECT THAT DUE TO THE HIGH PRICES BEING PAYED PERHAPS BUYING A OLD MANDAU WITH A NICE BLADE AND REFITTING IT WITH A NEWER FANCY HANDLE AND SCABBARD WOULD STILL BE PROFITABLE AFTER PAYING $300.00 FOR IT ON EBAY FOR PARTS. I WISH THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AS A AUTHENTIC OLD WEAPON EVEN IF INCOMPLETE AND WITH A PLAIN HANDLE IS BETTER THAN A COMPOSIT THAT LOOKS LIKE THE HIGH DOLLAR ONES. THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF RECENT MADE CLUBS SHOWING UP FORTUNATELY MOST ARE REPRESENTED AS SUCH SO FAR.

I have to say that I have a slight interest in US Civil War and have a foot officer's sword made for the Confederacy. I have seen this go up and then down slightly in market pricing. I have noticed that good Moro pieces are no longer being offered. I wonder if PI (Moro especially) will also go up and down a little. I do know that very good quality pieces will always keep their value.