Mysterious markings on dha or daab sword

[SidJ]

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?

[SidJ]

Ricasso

[Ian]

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

[RobT]

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