Nimcha hilted Saif arrived today. more substantial beast than expected. the grip and guard are firm, insect damage does not compromise it's strength. the grip has a small red wooden section at the guard with a figured brass bolster which is a tad loose. the remaining grip appears to be a fibrous keratin-like material. i, like kubar posted suspect it may be made from the hairy horn of an indiginous african herbivore. it did pass thru USA export and UK import customs successfully. i suspect this if mentioned would seriously increase it's value above my purchase price.
the ferrous guard has a dark patina, the sharp blade also has a age darkened 'patina' tho no rust.
the scabbard is wood, and essentially intact except the very thin leather cover is a bit tattered (actually a LOT tattered). the suspension bands, one has the seam open opposite the small ring which is also missing the larger free ring, the other has a closed seam but is missing the small ring that a larger free ring would be for attaching to the suspension clips.
blade is distal tapered, about 7mm (1/4 in.) thick and 1 1/4in. wide at the grip/guard end. blade is 35 in. long. the un-fullered tip portion is spear pointed, sharp on both edges. the rest of the blade (fullered part) is single edged and sharp for about half it's length, then about as sharp as a butter knife. balance is about 5 1/2 in. in front of the guard.
total weight is 1150 grams ex scabbard. all in all, not a short sword, so 'nimcha' as meaning a short sword is a misnomer, it's a saif and a long one.
|