Jambiya in Yemen

[Multumesc]

Nobody knows ???

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by Multumesc

Nobody knows ???

The coin looks like a Roman Aureus (golden coin). The macro picture is not good enough to read the inscription. A second coin is lost.

If i'm right, the value of the coin is much higher than the knife.

The golden coin also indicates a good to high quality of this Jambiya.

I would date the Jambiya back to the 19th century or very early 20th century.

[harrywagner]

I think Roland is probably right. Can you determine if the coin in gold? You see a lot of brass ones. What does the wood inside the sheath look like? 100 year old wood should be dark and look almost petrified.

[Roland_M]

Originally Posted by harrywagner

100 year old wood should be dark and look almost petrified.

Not necessarily, it depends on environment conditions and how good the wood was treated in its active time. A little bit of wax from time to time, thats all.
Especially hardwood aging is extremely slow.

In Germany we have quite wet weather conditions but we also have half-timbered houses, which are hundreds of years old.
The house in the picture is from 1617.


Roland

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all... I wouldnt necessarily bother about the scabbard ..or the wood inside it...because often the scabbards are from another weapon or replaced new . I would exercise caution on the coin which looks golden coloured but may well be brass.. like the metal strip next to it. The hilt looks like cowhorn (although with Yemeni Jambia there was a lot of Rhino used...and transferred from Rhino Hilted Swords from Ethiopia)... Guessing the age of the blade is also difficult but I dont think it is that old...again blades get replaced thus what parts were original?

Clearly this wasnt knocked out last week but trying to decide when the original was hoisted is very difficult...if not impossible. If it is a vital question I would err on the safe side and say about 50 years, however, with recent additions...

I would prefer a question as to what type of belt and how it was worn and the idiosyncracies of these daggers and how they have been adapted added to or had parts replaced? etc.

On the hilt question I add from Wikepedia Quote" The most famous sort of the janbia is that which has a "saifani" or ivory handle. It has a dim yellowish luster. The more translucent ivory will turn a yellow color with age. This is called "saifani heart". Some of the ivory handles are called "asadi", when they turn into greenish yellow. When the handle becomes whitish yellow, it is called "zaraf". There is also an albasali (onionish), kind whose color looks like that of a white onion."Unquote.

There is another expensive rare horn called almosae but I am not certain from what it comes..

I saw a very impressive Jambia at http://shbabon.blogspot.com/2013/07/...rt-dagger.html and record a picture of it below;

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Michael Blalock]

Venetian Ducat, minted for hundreds of years like the Maria Theresa Thaler and often imitated even in gold, used as international trade currency, most likely a brass copy made in India. See the writing from the 10 o'clock position to 12 o'clock. DUCAT
They were on all the Jambiyas.

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

Venetian Ducat, minted for hundreds of years like the Maria Theresa Thaler and often imitated even in gold, used as international trade currency, most likely a brass copy made in India. See the writing from the 10 o'clock position to 12 o'clock. DUCAT
They were on all the Jambiyas.

If it is a real ducat then that might indicate that it pre-dates WWI. I believe it was around that time the ducat was replaced with the newly acquired sovereigns that T.E. Lawrence was passing around. You see a lot of brass fakes of those also.