VOC marked pedang

cel7 · Today, 03:02 PM

Thanks Jim, that is indeed what you would expect. The absence of a year and the letter of the city is also suspicious to me. It was offered to me but I think I will pass on this one.

Jim McDougall · Today, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cel7

Thanks Jim, that is indeed what you would expect. The absence of a year and the letter of the city is also suspicious to me. It was offered to me but I think I will pass on this one.

You bet Cel, glad I could offer some help. This piece might be of some speculative value in the sense of the traditional character of these being put together, but a good measure of optimism is needed.
It seems I've been looking for a good example of a VOC blade forever, but remains on my bucket list

Ian · Today, 03:22 PM

Hi cel7,

As others have noted, this sword was entirely made in Indonesia and unrelated to the VOC. The VOC mark is clearly spurious; for example, the "C" is horizontally not vertically oriented. There are further aspects of the mark that are incorrect, but I won't help the "forgers" by pointing out other errors. The mistake in transcription likely reflects a craftsman unfamiliar with Anglo-European alphabets. This does not necessarily mean that there was an attempt to pass the sword off as Dutch in origin or directly linked to the VOC. Sometimes these foreign inscriptions were intended as a mark of quality, or, as Jim suggests, as a talisman.

Regards,

Ian.

Today, 03:02 PM	#1
cel7 Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 150	Thanks Jim, that is indeed what you would expect. The absence of a year and the letter of the city is also suspicious to me. It was offered to me but I think I will pass on this one.

Today, 03:22 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,173	Hi cel7, As others have noted, this sword was entirely made in Indonesia and unrelated to the VOC. The VOC mark is clearly spurious; for example, the "C" is horizontally not vertically oriented. There are further aspects of the mark that are incorrect, but I won't help the "forgers" by pointing out other errors. The mistake in transcription likely reflects a craftsman unfamiliar with Anglo-European alphabets. This does not necessarily mean that there was an attempt to pass the sword off as Dutch in origin or directly linked to the VOC. Sometimes these foreign inscriptions were intended as a mark of quality, or, as Jim suggests, as a talisman. Regards, Ian.