An old dha (carbon 14 dated)
Found in excavated condition, published with results of c-14 and XRF analysis.
The Wiasemsky Montagnard dha
Collected by a Russian prince from the hill peoples of central Vietnam in 1892.
Large Atayal lalaw sword
A particularly nice example with 120 iron bands holding the blade.
Ainu sword in Japanese polish
Exceedingly rare Ainu sword. Comes in an old Japanese collection box.
An excavated dha sword
With heavy blade and copper alloy hilt and lobed guard.
Acehnese peudeueng
With Hindu style basket hilt and local blade in European style.
A Karo Batak kalasan sword
An almost textbook example of a silver-plated kalasan.
Toba Batak sword
With cast-bronze guarding figure hilt.
Sikin panjang with golden crown
In original condition and period finish. Some losses, no repairs.
Liuyedao with very good blade
Description
This Chinese liǔyèdāo is an excellent example of Chinese bladesmithing at its best.
Signed húdiédāo set
Of military style with long, narrow blades and ribbed hardwood grips.
Lóngquán Daoist shuāngjiàn
A very good set of Daoist straightswords in a single scabbard. There is a lot to see here, but I will start with the blades.
A sawasa hunting hanger
Sawasa is a copper-gold alloy that was patinated a "raven black" and then highlights were parcel-gilt.
A Chinese headman's sword
Of rare form with short but very heavy double-edged blade.
A rare chilseong-geom
A rare Korean saber with ray-skin grip and scabbard and silver overlaid iron mounts.
Unusual Indian zulfiqar sword
With bifurcated S-shaped blade in talwar hilt.
Qing fangshi soldier's saber
A rare surviving example of the simple military version of this style.
Wakizashi in Burmese hilt
An unusual cross-cultural mix, blending Burmese, Japanese and Indian parts.
Wootz talwar with pierced scabbard
With fine gold overlaid hilt, tight-grained wootz blade and elaborately pierced scabbard.
Talwar with Mamluk style blade
In Punjabi style hilt, with elaborately chiseled blade.
A Palembang sword with British blade
With finely carved horn hilt, silver mounts and reshaped European blade.
A kirach with hunting scenes
Its blade pattern-welded and chiseled with designs of hunters and animals.
Fine Ottoman yatağan dated 1809
Made by a maker called Noah in 1809 for a certain Mehemmed Ağa Fî. With beautiful golden overlays on blade.
Yatağan dated 1790-1791
An old warhorse with several repairs.
Indian pata with Solingen blade
With a blade of 17th-century European manufacture, with trader's name on it.
French sword for the King of Siam
With a Parisian blade carrying the royal emblem of King Rama IV.
Unusual Taiwanese sword
With a straight blade of asymmetrical grind and a strongly Chinese inspired scabbard.
Very good hudiedao set
With fine carved hilts, substantial bronze D-guards, and subtle signs of heat treatment on the blades.
A fine Kayan mandau
With less common wooden hilt and elaborately inlaid blade in brass, copper and silver.
A Kenyah mandau
The famous sidearm of the headhunters of Borneo.
Talwar hilted shamshir
With a very fine Persian blade of "brilliant black" wootz.
Lahore talwar hilted shamshir
Persian wootz shamshir in a talwar hilt from Lahore.
A fine south Nias telögu
With rare pale buffalo horn hilt with gold alloy inlays.
Very fine Sinhalese kasthāné
With parcel gilding and ruby eyes, in a fine silver repousse scabbard.
An unusual minority dao
The wide blade with clipped tip mounted on a riveted wooden grip.
Brass mounted Thai dáap
A charming and somewhat unusual example of a Thai dáap (ดาบ).
Plain mounted Mindan dha
Plain when sheathed, unsheathing reveals a rather nice silver overlaid blade.
Early silver Burmese dha
With elaborate silver overlaid blade and inlaid iron hilt.
Burmese silver overlaid dha
On a sturdy, user-grade blade with temper line.
A Kenyah Dayak mandau sword
The sword and everyday tool of the headhunters of Borneo.
Tribal Kachin dha
A typical example with a nice forge folded blade with differential heat treatment.
An Ottoman coral studded pala
With gilt copper scabbard and multi-row twist-core blade.
Parang nabur with báitóng hilt
These sabers from Kalimantan exhibit a mix of European, Islamic, and local styles.
A fine late Qing jian
A step above the norm in quality for this period, with nicely pierced mounts.
Cantonese saber
With brass mounts and ray skin covered scabbard.
Southern Chinese saber
Of typical southern form with a very slender, pointy blade.
An early form niúwěidāo
With good, layered blade, mounted in forged iron mounts.
Fine dated talwar from Ratlam
With Mamluk style blade decor and inscriptions on both blade and hilt.
Bhutanese sword in tribal scabbard
With early pierced iron pommel and a style of scabbard worn in Arunachal Pradesh.