Mysterious markings on dha or daab sword
 

Hello
Seeking help on deciphering this strange marking on Ricardo of an antique dha sword. There is also an odd little round bump on the spine. Anyone seen anything similar?

Ricasso

Hi Sid,

That looks like a fairly old blade, but it is hard to say how old. There is some active rust that should be removed I think. Cleaning and polishing the blade might reveal some further marks. I am unfamiliar with the dots and lines shown, and have not seen similar marks on dha/daab before, although southern Chinese swords occasionally have the "Seven Stars" marks that looks a bit similar to the lines/large dots depicted on this blade. The small round protruding piece on the spine may be a metal insert, possibly brass. Again, cleaning and polishing the blade would show that better.

Regards, Ian

Constellation?
 

Ian,

Looks like the Big Dipper to me. Can’t help you with the bump though. To me, the odds look good for a differentially heat treated edge if you really work hard on polishing the blade (I'm presently doing one myself).

Sincerely,
RobT