Keris gamble, fingers crossed?

[David]

Originally Posted by kai

If you like the blade, don't quibble too much with the remainder - neither the pesi nor the larger hole of the ukiran would be considered a fatal flaw in Jawa. Obviously, this keris is not perfect: a perfect, old keris will cost you the equivalent of one or more estates rather than meals...

Establishing what you really look for in a blade (and getting some exposure to the many different keris styles) will certainly help you to get comfortable in the grey zone most of us mortals are stuck with collecting...

Well put Kai. And i agree that the crack in the hilt is hairline and nothing to particularly worry about. As Kai points out, a fine old keris in supurb condition will cost you a bit more than a few portins of fish & chips. As with any keris the bottom line is do you like it, does it call to you.
When you attach a piece to lenghten your pesi is called disambung and it is an acceptable way to salvage an old keris. I would say that if you were really into renovating this old boy you could also get a new mendak (the metal ring thingy that is missing some bits ) for it. You could probably replace it with a very similar style. It is certainly the easiest improvement you could make and it wouldn't set you back more than a few portions.

[A. G. Maisey]

Actually, this is not a real bad old keris.

Yeah, sure, its a bit untidy in places, but for its age it is not bad at all.

The dress is middle of the road in quality and presentation; I suspect that the pendok will test as silver---the embossing looks too fine for it to be mamas.

A pretty fair old keris.

You cannot apply the same rules of appraisal to keris that you would to any other weapon. A keris like this cannot really be regarded as a weapon, but more as a cultural icon.

[Tim Simmons]

Thanks everybody. I might try something in time.