Georgian Shashka

OsobistGB · 16th December 2018, 09:19 PM

What makes you think the blade is Georgian

...аnd the chance to be from Dagestan is zero.
Unfortunately, this is a very recent compilation.The auctions are full of copies from Georgia and skillful craftsmen from St. Petersburg.

ariel · 16th December 2018, 10:27 PM

Regretfully, Osobist is correct in general, and I tried to hint at the same trend: former Soviet republics are chock full of false “Caucasian “ weapons. After all, what else are they capable of manufacturing for export except for vodka, fur coats and caviar?

Nevertheless, in this particular case the situation is not as horrible: I am almost sure that the handle is original, and the blade also has a very high chance of being contemporaneous Daghestani.

I was a bit uneasy about the mounts but their origin as per Oliver surprised me. I would never have thought about this source! That’s the difference between an amateur ( me) and a seasoned professional ( Oliver).

Scabbard aside, IMHO it is a combination of Daghestani blade and Tiflis handle.
Whether it was assembled thus 130 years or 130 days ago is a matter of debate. Somehow, I doubt that anybody will go as far as disassembling the shashka in search of epoxy glue.

16th December 2018, 09:19 PM	#1
OsobistGB Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 95	What makes you think the blade is Georgian ...аnd the chance to be from Dagestan is zero. Unfortunately, this is a very recent compilation.The auctions are full of copies from Georgia and skillful craftsmen from St. Petersburg.

16th December 2018, 10:27 PM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Regretfully, Osobist is correct in general, and I tried to hint at the same trend: former Soviet republics are chock full of false “Caucasian “ weapons. After all, what else are they capable of manufacturing for export except for vodka, fur coats and caviar? Nevertheless, in this particular case the situation is not as horrible: I am almost sure that the handle is original, and the blade also has a very high chance of being contemporaneous Daghestani. I was a bit uneasy about the mounts but their origin as per Oliver surprised me. I would never have thought about this source! That’s the difference between an amateur ( me) and a seasoned professional ( Oliver). Scabbard aside, IMHO it is a combination of Daghestani blade and Tiflis handle. Whether it was assembled thus 130 years or 130 days ago is a matter of debate. Somehow, I doubt that anybody will go as far as disassembling the shashka in search of epoxy glue.