Indonesian sword?

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Kai, Aceh was a bad thought, obviously wrong. Shotgun approach.

I'm quite certain of the "Sumatera" nomination from these runners, people who did not know one another & who are professionals in their field, but the Aceh did not come from them, it was my shotgun.

Maybe Batak might be better?

I do not have many references on this sort of thing, a long time ago I had some mild interest in these various S.E. Asian sharp-pointy things, but that is ancient history, perhaps somebody might come up with some supportive evidence of somewhere.

I wonder if anybody here has read Centini? There is a passage in it where the chief characters are discussing keris, & one of them says something like "lets go to the market & learn about keris". As far as any sort of object of trade is concerned, it is the market-place that holds the answers, people who rely upon knowledge of what they sell in order to earn a living hold all the knowledge, everybody else is on the outside, just looking in through the occasional open window. If the pasar holds the knowledge, it is the finders who supply the pasar.

[JeffS]

Apologies for wasting people's time. When I went to clean it for detail photos I found that the upper handle/ferule is plastic (not horn as I thought) and that the black residue is not soot or dirt but some type of synthetic concoction. The blade is real but I think it is safe to assume the rest is fantasy. More tuition fees for me.

[A. G. Maisey]

That's a real disappointment for you Jeff, & I'm sorry to hear it.

Anyway, welcome to the club, we've all been shonked , its part of degree course.

However, when a piece of fakedakery like this appears on the scene, we usually have seen or will see others the same, or close to to it. Speaking for myself only, I have not seen a plastic hilt anything like this one of yours --- & I very regulary see a lot of various examples of fake antique weaponry.

[Ian]

Very sorry to hear that Jeff. As Alan says, we have all been there. I have a drawer of "shame" with the pieces acquired over the years that turned out to be fakes. Not many, but enough to hurt the pride. Hang in there. When you find a real "sleeper" it makes the world seem a whole lot brighter and collecting a lot of fun.

[werecow]

I like the term "oops box" that someone here coined. My oops box overfloweth.