A mystery knife - India or N. Africa maybe?

DaveA · 4th October 2007, 12:38 AM

Thanks for the quick reply.

Cleaning is always a question, and I find a lot of different opinions and preferences. In this case, it really was pretty grimy and yes, inexpensive. The pre-cleaning picture of the blade actually made it look better than it was.

My bias is generally towards removing the grime of history so that as much of the original beauty of a weapon can come forth as possible. However, there are cases where the patina and age enhance rather than detract.

I remember watching the "Antique Roadshow" one time. The expert said, "I have great news! This is a genuine x y z wardrobe that could be worth $100,000 ...{ooh ahh}... if you hadn't refinished it. As it is, you might get $5,000 for it". High drama indeed, but it drove home the point about "restoration".

kronckew · 4th October 2007, 10:48 AM

these were sold in their hundreds on ebay, some with bone hand grips, or wood, but all basically the same, they even had a 'beware' fact sheet on them on ebay somewhere. i bought one myself and posted it here and there was some initial reaction that it was a revolutionary war era naval dirk. it ain't. (my original post<-linky) it's from india - late 20th c. - a kirpan. pic of one just like the one in post 1 is shown in the linked post.

one of these was sold on ebay a few days ago as a 'naval dirk' and went for over 300$ to some unsuspecting hopeful. i'm tempted to post mine there. (mine cost £10)

here's mine - blade etching says good luck on one side, pure steel on the other. some say 'victory' or 'best wishes'

ah, well, back into the drawer with the rest of my educational purchases....

sabertasche · 5th October 2007, 01:59 AM

Hi there, here in British Columbia (Canada) we call it a kirpan. It is the traditional dagger that many Sikh men wear.

Greg

spiral · 5th October 2007, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabertasche

Hi there, here in British Columbia (Canada) we call it a kirpan. It is the traditional dagger that many Sikh men wear.

Greg

A Kirpan is any Sikh sword or knife, that ones not realy a "traditional" design, Ill think youl find?

But yes as I said above, recently they are sometimes sold outside Sikh temples as such....

Spiral

4th October 2007, 12:38 AM	#1
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 416	Thanks; perils of cleaning Thanks for the quick reply. Cleaning is always a question, and I find a lot of different opinions and preferences. In this case, it really was pretty grimy and yes, inexpensive. The pre-cleaning picture of the blade actually made it look better than it was. My bias is generally towards removing the grime of history so that as much of the original beauty of a weapon can come forth as possible. However, there are cases where the patina and age enhance rather than detract. I remember watching the "Antique Roadshow" one time. The expert said, "I have great news! This is a genuine x y z wardrobe that could be worth $100,000 ...{ooh ahh}... if you hadn't refinished it. As it is, you might get $5,000 for it". High drama indeed, but it drove home the point about "restoration".

4th October 2007, 10:48 AM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,228	these were sold in their hundreds on ebay, some with bone hand grips, or wood, but all basically the same, they even had a 'beware' fact sheet on them on ebay somewhere. i bought one myself and posted it here and there was some initial reaction that it was a revolutionary war era naval dirk. it ain't. (my original post<-linky) it's from india - late 20th c. - a kirpan. pic of one just like the one in post 1 is shown in the linked post. one of these was sold on ebay a few days ago as a 'naval dirk' and went for over 300$ to some unsuspecting hopeful. i'm tempted to post mine there. (mine cost £10) here's mine - blade etching says good luck on one side, pure steel on the other. some say 'victory' or 'best wishes' ah, well, back into the drawer with the rest of my educational purchases.... Last edited by kronckew; 5th October 2007 at 06:55 AM.

5th October 2007, 01:59 AM	#3
sabertasche Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 149	Hi there, here in British Columbia (Canada) we call it a kirpan. It is the traditional dagger that many Sikh men wear. Greg