Second dha silver handle

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Marc M.

Hi Iain Yes, a coin with date is an indication of a period which the object could have been made, but can vary by several decades. Coins are often used as decoration on weapons, scabbards and belts in many cultures, is this common in South East Asia , specifically dha's?
Regards
Marc

That's a good question Marc and I am by no means that experienced with coins on dha, having had only a few pass through my hands. I think they all need to be looked at in context, for example a coin as a pommel cap has perhaps a higher likelihood to be a replacement for a lost pommel than an example like yours where the coin is used as a guard and is integral to the whole sword.

That's why I mentioned that I think you can be pretty safe in saying your sword is from the 1880s and could well be from the exact year of the coin.

In general I think that coins on dha can often have a amulet/talisman meaning. In Thai amulets you see a lot of medallions, special coins etc. Again, its a very specialist area that I can't claim any deep knowledge around, but in the case of your sword it should make for a very interesting research project! The silver wire/fittings on yours is also a good indication it was an important sword for the owner, I think you have a pretty special piece.