Kai,
I agree mostly with what you say. I too think these are inexpensive pieces aimed at those who travel. However, some appear to have more age than others. The basic pattern seems to be a Dutch naval officer's sword of 1880. That they are of Indonesian manufacture seems well established. All markings are not authentic historically, and designed for marketing purposes. As to when these swords were made, I think that some are early 20th C, possibly coincident with the European styled pieces of better quality from W. Java, while others appear more recent in manufacture.
Attempts to decide whether Batavia refers to a place or an historical VOC ship are interesting but of no real importance given that the inscriptions on these swords are basically meaningless.
I don't think we need to drag this story out much further. I posted this example as a "remember when," rather than a serious discussion of the merits and meanings of these swords.
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