Taiwanese Aboriginal Blades (need opinions before purchase)

[driftwould]

Hi Ian! Thanks for the response.

First, my apologies, I guess I missed or forgotten about the no price thing, it's been a while since I've been on here.

I've read a lot on the website about Taiwanese knives, and while I haven't reviewed it recently, it was enough to make me think these might be originals (having lived in China for a long time, I'm deeply suspicious of very convincing knock-offs, even though Taiwan is usually very different from that!).

Your comment about the knife not matching the scabbard was very helpful, it seemed obvious once you pointed it out but as a pretty rank amateur that's the kind of thing I'm likely to miss. As for the state of preservation, I'm not sure what to expect to be available in the first place. They're obviously old and degraded, but as to how that compares with what else is or isn't out there I really don't know. Also, I'm not sure how to tell how old they just might be - except for what's been written elsewhere in the forum - and then I'd doubt my own dubious "expertise." That's actually the main reason I was posting about prices, was just to get a feel of where these knives fall on the scale of what's out there.

So... any other observations or comments would be quite appreciated, and thanks again!

Originally Posted by Ian

Driftwould:

We don't discuss prices on this forum, so we cannot comment here whether the prices you were quoted are reasonable. You could contact a forum member via email or PM if you want to discuss costs.

The two knives you show appear to have some age judging from the blade patinas and the wear on the wooden hilts. However, the scabbards may not have started out with these knives. In particular, the lighter scabbard looks as though it was made for a more curved blade--also, this scabbard was probably made by the Atayal people while the knife hilt resembles the Paiwan style.

The second scabbard appears to be Paiwan and the knife could be Paiwan although the hilt is so degraded it is hard to say which tribe that knife comes from (but probably not from the Atayal whose hilts are usually plain and straight).

There is information elsewhere on this site about Taiwanese knives and you can find discussion of the various tribal characteristics using the search function.

Do you have any more information from the vendor as to the possible ages or origins of these knives? How large are they?

Ian.