Very Old Arabian Saif

M.carter · 26th May 2006, 02:34 PM

Hello,

The newest addition to my collection. I would like any information you guys have about it, approximate age? When I bought it, the pommel was broken off, and it is very damaged, but a quick superglue job fixed it. The blade measures 28 inches, which is quite short for a saif I must say, as most are over 30. The silver is very oxidised too. May I ask, will polishing the silver back to its shine, devalue the piece? I really would like to, but Im afraid it will lose some value. The hilt slabs have hairline cracks in them, and are of bone or ivory (I cant tell). The edge seems to have been sharpened with a file at some point, but its verrry sharp, razor sharp, touching it gave me a nasty cut on my fingers. The blade profile is very katana like, not a wedge as common on these swords. I must say, this is a very hefty blade, the stoutest Ive seen on a saif. This sword is very well balanced and very well made, only not very well cared for, there was some light pitting and rust in the middle of the blade, which I cleaned off easily, and many other lightly pitted spots. The pommel is very damaged. Im very excited with this sword, as its my first antique ever! Hope you guys can help me with my queries.

26th May 2006, 02:34 PM	#1
M.carter Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 176	Very Old Arabian Saif Hello, The newest addition to my collection. I would like any information you guys have about it, approximate age? When I bought it, the pommel was broken off, and it is very damaged, but a quick superglue job fixed it. The blade measures 28 inches, which is quite short for a saif I must say, as most are over 30. The silver is very oxidised too. May I ask, will polishing the silver back to its shine, devalue the piece? I really would like to, but Im afraid it will lose some value. The hilt slabs have hairline cracks in them, and are of bone or ivory (I cant tell). The edge seems to have been sharpened with a file at some point, but its verrry sharp, razor sharp, touching it gave me a nasty cut on my fingers. The blade profile is very katana like, not a wedge as common on these swords. I must say, this is a very hefty blade, the stoutest Ive seen on a saif. This sword is very well balanced and very well made, only not very well cared for, there was some light pitting and rust in the middle of the blade, which I cleaned off easily, and many other lightly pitted spots. The pommel is very damaged. Im very excited with this sword, as its my first antique ever! Hope you guys can help me with my queries. Last edited by M.carter; 26th May 2006 at 03:02 PM.