Unusual Kaskara

[Edster]

Hello MHLDRW,

Welcome to the Forum, and thanks for submitting such an interesting kaskara.

The blade looks old. I'd say locally made due to the rather crude forging of the central fuller. The blade also looks thick and perhaps lacking sharpened edges, but that could be the lighting.

The text needs to be translated to provide better context. Likely, the cross & orb was inscribed along with the text. Its symbolism is ambiguous. It was used during the Funj era (1565ish to 1821) as a symbol of royal ownership, as a Christian religious and as a 19c. German maker's mark.

The crossguard looks old, perhaps 19c.

The hilt is of unique style in my experience. I suspect it is a rehilt much newer than the blade & crossguard. The white spacers look man-made (no age discoloration) and i've seen the small dotted circles on knife handles from late 20c. The silver mid-section is high quality and a nice design. I've never seen anything like it. It may be a reuse of wrist cuff tribal jewelry, but that's just a guess.

I'm sure my assessments are debatable. Just like in a good fish tale, "the first liar doesn't stand a chance". :-)

Best regards,
Ed