A lot of money for small knife?

Tim Simmons · 8th August 2007, 10:27 PM

With rather crude use of silver and I bet it is foil thin.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA:IT&ih=002

RSWORD · 8th August 2007, 10:58 PM

It might be a lot of knife for a small amount of money. I suspect it fetched the price due to the rarity of knife versus the amount or quality of silver decoration. This is a knife refered to as a "pichangatti" and is of the Coorg. Like the Ayda Katti they just are not that common.

Ian · 8th August 2007, 11:21 PM

Rick is correct. This knife appears to have some age and is a nice example of a knife that seems to have been well used. These don't come up very often. Quite a reasonable price for what it is IMO.

The Coorgi are renowned warriors who live on the east coast of India in the north of the state of Karnataka. Their homeland has been defended vigourously (and successfully) for two millenia. Some people believe they are descendants of part of Alexander the Great's army. These men in Alexander's army may have come from what is now Syria.

The pichangatti is still worn by Coorg men on special occasions.

Ian.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSWORD

It might be a lot of knife for a small amount of money. I suspect it fetched the price due to the rarity of knife versus the amount or quality of silver decoration. This is a knife refered to as a "pichangatti" and is of the Coorg. Like the Ayda Katti they just are not that common.

olikara · 9th August 2007, 06:15 PM

That was a beautiful Peechekathi as pointed by Tim. The Coorgis pronounce it 'Peechekathi' and not 'pichangatti'. Kathi in Coorgi and most other Dravidian tongues like Tamil and Malayalam stands for knife/dagger.

Even today peecehkathis are worn by Coorgi men for important social functions. The Peeche kathi cannot be purchased off the shelf even in the heart of Coorg(Mercara). It is often handed down over generations or has to be made to order and surprisingly not at a Swordsmiths shop but at a Jeweller's.

The jewellers were and still are the ones responsible for making the Peechekathis. This is because many of them are of ornate design and embellished with Gold or Silver. The Coorgi men would insert the Peechekathi at their waist and it was more of a status symbol rather than an instrument of war. All the Peechekathis that I have handled have the sharp edge only near the tip along the lower edge. Perhaps they were intended for use like the Katar or the Pesh-Kabz.

When it came to war and yes, as Ian rightly pointed out, the Coorgis were the Lords of War, they preferred to use the 'AyudhaKathi', which was invariably strapped to the Coorgi's waistband at the back or held in the hand. So we had the Peechekathi strapped to his front and the more potent 'AyudhaKathi' strapped to the back. Ayudha incidentally is Sanskrit for 'Weapon'.

Attached is an old photograph of an assembly of Coorgi elders. Notice the Peechekathi and the AyudhaKathi and how they are held.

rand · 9th August 2007, 08:01 PM

Saw that on knife Ebay, from the photo's could not tell if it was genuine or one of the newly well made copies. These are very desirable daggers and a good early example would normally fetch quite a bit more. Hope its a nice early piece and the Buyers gets a good deal on a genuine period dagger. When ever an item has fuzzy photo's a big red flag appears between my ears and I sit back and watch.

rand

Battara · 9th August 2007, 11:15 PM

As to the silver foil, I think it is more than foil, but yes very thin silver sheet, maybe 30-32 gauge. Not uncommon at all for these and other silvered pieces all over the world (some dha scabbards for example).

8th August 2007, 10:27 PM	#1
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,807	A lot of money for small knife? With rather crude use of silver and I bet it is foil thin. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA:IT&ih=002

9th August 2007, 06:15 PM	#4
olikara Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: India Posts: 100	Peechekathi and Ayudhakathi That was a beautiful Peechekathi as pointed by Tim. The Coorgis pronounce it 'Peechekathi' and not 'pichangatti'. Kathi in Coorgi and most other Dravidian tongues like Tamil and Malayalam stands for knife/dagger. Even today peecehkathis are worn by Coorgi men for important social functions. The Peeche kathi cannot be purchased off the shelf even in the heart of Coorg(Mercara). It is often handed down over generations or has to be made to order and surprisingly not at a Swordsmiths shop but at a Jeweller's. The jewellers were and still are the ones responsible for making the Peechekathis. This is because many of them are of ornate design and embellished with Gold or Silver. The Coorgi men would insert the Peechekathi at their waist and it was more of a status symbol rather than an instrument of war. All the Peechekathis that I have handled have the sharp edge only near the tip along the lower edge. Perhaps they were intended for use like the Katar or the Pesh-Kabz. When it came to war and yes, as Ian rightly pointed out, the Coorgis were the Lords of War, they preferred to use the 'AyudhaKathi', which was invariably strapped to the Coorgi's waistband at the back or held in the hand. So we had the Peechekathi strapped to his front and the more potent 'AyudhaKathi' strapped to the back. Ayudha incidentally is Sanskrit for 'Weapon'. Attached is an old photograph of an assembly of Coorgi elders. Notice the Peechekathi and the AyudhaKathi and how they are held. Attached Images

9th August 2007, 08:01 PM	#5
rand Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 538	Coorg Saw that on knife Ebay, from the photo's could not tell if it was genuine or one of the newly well made copies. These are very desirable daggers and a good early example would normally fetch quite a bit more. Hope its a nice early piece and the Buyers gets a good deal on a genuine period dagger. When ever an item has fuzzy photo's a big red flag appears between my ears and I sit back and watch. rand

8th August 2007, 10:58 PM	#2
RSWORD Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,083	It might be a lot of knife for a small amount of money. I suspect it fetched the price due to the rarity of knife versus the amount or quality of silver decoration. This is a knife refered to as a "pichangatti" and is of the Coorg. Like the Ayda Katti they just are not that common.

9th August 2007, 11:15 PM	#6
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,219	As to the silver foil, I think it is more than foil, but yes very thin silver sheet, maybe 30-32 gauge. Not uncommon at all for these and other silvered pieces all over the world (some dha scabbards for example).