[Ian]

Hi Detlef,

That's an interesting Maranao piece from early to mid-20th C. The up-curled guard is very similar to some pre-WWII pieces from the Lake Lanao region. There are gunong from that same period that have up-curved guards also, and these might reflect the fancy plumage of the sarimanok totem (discussed elsewhere on this Forum).

The blade is probably a Maranao version of a barung, but it might also be from Zamboanga as it is rather narrow overall and quite wide adjacent to the hilt. The straight section of the spine from the point of maximum width down to the tip is also seen on some Palawano barung blades.

The John Paul Jones "coin" refers to the commander of the Revolutionary Navy in the war of the American Colonies against Britain. John Paul Jones died in 1792. This particular coin came out of a MAZUMA GUM packet made by the Chiclet Company. The coin was made in 1934 and was worth "Mazuma" 10 cents play money (see pics). Interesting old piece of Americana!


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