That certainly looks like old wood. It may well be the original scabbard under that not very pleasing covering. I would say that is likely. It is much easier to cover up problems than to make a new...
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That certainly looks like old wood. It may well be the original scabbard under that not very pleasing covering. I would say that is likely. It is much easier to cover up problems than to make a new...
Looking back at the guards, I think they are good. So only the scabbard is new.
Yes, the scabbard is new, but the blades look original. With better pictures I could know for sure. The handles look right, but the guards may be newer.
Interesting. I would have guessed Vietnamese as well because of the exuberant look to the blades, but South China temple collections look like this too. So I have to agree, there is nothing...
It is a Republican era piece with, probably but not definitely, a mono steel blade.
Those are lovely looking shuang jian. They were brand new, or close to it, when they were purchased 100 years ago and have been kept nicely. I have never seen the tassles on an intact suspension...
I am still thinking about this one, and it still gives me problems. Good catch on the Vietnamese style pommel, but it all feels a bit off. The casting details are very vague and low quality. I...
It does not resemble any antique I can think of.
It is a recent copy of what someone imagined a very old jian should look like. It is probably from West Java, no earlier than the 1980s.
It looks influenced by Spanish colonial designs, with some Chinese flavor. The Philippines being a good bet.
The Chinese dragon motif is a good indicator, even though surrounding areas use it. This appears to be a Chinese minority dao made relatively recently. It is hard to place exactly, but it has a...
The bare blade appears be substantially better quality and potentially older.
I think you are doing the right thing. Willow leaf dao like yours are usually later and have yuanshi fittings, but there were earlier willow leaf blades that would have fangshi fittings. The curved...
Yes, they are both fairly recent reproductions.
I am not familiar enough with European arms to know why an imported blade is even suspected. This looks purely Chinese to me. The hollow grind/wide fuller is less common then other forms, but I...
It is Vasayan, probably about 1900.
It looks like it has a good traditional sanmai blade. I don't know about the heat treatment. I wouldn't bother insuring it unless you send it through the mail. One or two grand or even more would be...
I think you are right. I was trying to remember the name of the alloy, and "German Silver" is it.
Thanks,
Josh
I agree with the dates; everything about it is consistent with the early Republican period. Even the spurious Qianlong rein marks are typical. Unfortunately some are fooled by this. I have a jian...
I agree with this analysis. In addition, the patina is rather too even for an antique.
Nice call on on it being a pole arm. I agree, nothing I can see says "fake" but the combination of small photos and bad condition make it impossible to say for sure. If it is real, it certainly has...
These are modern copies made in Java for the domestic tourist trade. They are solidly made, but with soft steel. Locals recommend putting them on an alter and not practicing with them, but I found...
Your swords were made in Indonesia, likely in the West Java Sunda region, in the last 25 years.
This is interesting. The scabbard looks like typical Chinese Army examples (KMT etc). However, the hilt does not look Chinese. The style is unusual and reminds me of South Asian perhaps Sri Lankan...
Gavin- Yes it is the guard that is most suspicious. There are some closeups of the handle that show the age you would expect where the ferule area meets the guard, but then the next to it guard...