A little bit of luck !!

Maj-Biffy Snodgrass · 26th May 2023, 10:21 PM

Around a year ago I purchased this little Somalian not so old Billao knife from a high end London auction at the cost of £40 uk pounds plus postage, buyers premium not included, it owed me around £65 all in tops, after buying it I thought, fool you paid to much for that.
I must admit that from the pics I had an idea it may be a gold alloy just by its look and colour so took a chance on it, but when a friend looked at it and said I think its solid gold I'll get it tested for you I agreed and the outcome was very very good.
I was very surprised when the mounts turned out to be solid 14c gold, obviously the knife was worth no more than I paid without the gold mounts and likely less, but, the gold landed me £1300 quid and I still have the silver fish eaten blonde horn hilt and blade in scabbard left, the description is below.
As Wayne recently said here on the forum, never trust an auction, truth is they are more than often wrong when it comes to antique edged weapons and this time they truly were, luck or sacrilege, that is the question.

Snody

The description of the Billao is below.

An Islamic dagger, 20th century, the resin handle with yellow metal pommel and cross guard, the leather and vellum sheath with wire embroidery, 32.6cm long
The handle with several losses, some fraying wire to the sheath.

TVV · 27th May 2023, 12:31 AM

There is the melt value of the gold mounts, and then there is the collectible value of the entire object. There is a good chance that some collector may have paid above the melt value for the whole piece, potentially well above. It certainly would have been worth a try, but I guess now we will never know.

Maj-Biffy Snodgrass · 27th May 2023, 01:09 AM

I don't know anyone who would pay over £1300 for a not very old Billao knife with a wrecked horn hilt even with gold mounts unless they were nutz, for me the gold far out weighed the value of the knife, 99.9 % of dealers like me would have done the same and seen it as a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush, as a dealer I do not sit on things like this waiting for some purist collector to come along and try to ponce it from me for £100 quid, I have a living to make just as we all do, I did the right thing, I do not regret doing it one tiny bit.

Anyone out there who would like the blade and sheath they can have it for free as long as they pay the price of the postage to wherever it has to go.

Snody

26th May 2023, 10:21 PM	#1
Maj-Biffy Snodgrass Member Join Date: Mar 2023 Posts: 66	A little bit of luck !! Around a year ago I purchased this little Somalian not so old Billao knife from a high end London auction at the cost of £40 uk pounds plus postage, buyers premium not included, it owed me around £65 all in tops, after buying it I thought, fool you paid to much for that. I must admit that from the pics I had an idea it may be a gold alloy just by its look and colour so took a chance on it, but when a friend looked at it and said I think its solid gold I'll get it tested for you I agreed and the outcome was very very good. I was very surprised when the mounts turned out to be solid 14c gold, obviously the knife was worth no more than I paid without the gold mounts and likely less, but, the gold landed me £1300 quid and I still have the silver fish eaten blonde horn hilt and blade in scabbard left, the description is below. As Wayne recently said here on the forum, never trust an auction, truth is they are more than often wrong when it comes to antique edged weapons and this time they truly were, luck or sacrilege, that is the question. Snody The description of the Billao is below. An Islamic dagger, 20th century, the resin handle with yellow metal pommel and cross guard, the leather and vellum sheath with wire embroidery, 32.6cm long The handle with several losses, some fraying wire to the sheath. Attached Images

27th May 2023, 01:09 AM	#3
Maj-Biffy Snodgrass Member Join Date: Mar 2023 Posts: 66	a bird in the hand ! I don't know anyone who would pay over £1300 for a not very old Billao knife with a wrecked horn hilt even with gold mounts unless they were nutz, for me the gold far out weighed the value of the knife, 99.9 % of dealers like me would have done the same and seen it as a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush, as a dealer I do not sit on things like this waiting for some purist collector to come along and try to ponce it from me for £100 quid, I have a living to make just as we all do, I did the right thing, I do not regret doing it one tiny bit. Anyone out there who would like the blade and sheath they can have it for free as long as they pay the price of the postage to wherever it has to go. Snody

27th May 2023, 12:31 AM	#2
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,620	There is the melt value of the gold mounts, and then there is the collectible value of the entire object. There is a good chance that some collector may have paid above the melt value for the whole piece, potentially well above. It certainly would have been worth a try, but I guess now we will never know.