khukuri's old cousin

John Powell

John Powell

Joined
Mar 9, 1999
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Here's an example of a nice Indian sossun pata in its dagger form. So you can call it a cousin or a great grandpa, but either way this is a piece worth seeing. Probably from around mid 19th century.
<img src=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1282361&a=10679651&p=51838261>
 
Wow. Very nice. Two questions:

1) Is this style related to the khanjarlis style (sp?) I saw in the archives?

2) How do you FIND all these? :D
 
I second Snuffy's question and add one of my own: do you OWN all these?!? Please say no, just to make me feel better:D :D LOL!
 
Nice!!! If you don't mind me asking, what is a rig like this worth? And John, What is the most expensive khukuri you've heard of? Just wondering.:)
 
Depending on several import factors this could be a very expensive rig. Is it in the 25 inch range, John?
 
Yes, all the pieces I post are in my collection. If not, I would credit the owner if he wanted his name used.

This knife/sword is 21.5" o/a and would be in the $900-$1500 range. If it had its original scabbard, double that. As to high values, I have heard rumours of a certain khukuri being worth $10,000. Like anything the value is what someone is willing to pay.

As Bill said, I have my methods, but EBay has been a great source. You just have to know what to look for and what is really being offered.
 
Would love to see BirGhorka try to upgrade to this quality, but realistically appears this would be far down the road.:(

Harry
 
John,
Why, do you torment me?? You ain't got a "collection" you have a huge warehouse,with climate control,alarms & guards! Reminds me of movie Ind. Jones, when they put the Grail in this HUGE warehouse with all the other goodies,"like yours"!John, every time you post,I say I don't want to see what it is,then I do ,"and just stare"!I think you get some great K ,look at it & say,"yup" this one ought to drive Jim NUTS! Congrats. you have come close! THANKS!
jim :cool:
 
Originally posted by John Powell
I have heard rumours of a certain khukuri being worth $10,000.
Click to expand...
:eek: Can you share a few details regarding that certain khukuri - royal or famous historical person provenance, precious metals/gemstones, fantastic embellishments?
 
Very nice piece indeed! I've seen a couple others on auction before. IMHO this piece appears to have a notch on it, which would lead me to believe it was influenced by the khukuri...Nepal and India are pretty close, and it's quite possible that muslim smiths saw a few khuks:). If that isn't a notch that I see, it may be a different story.
In any case, I feel as though it might be regarded more as short tulwar due to the handle configuration, a very similar piece is owned by Artzi of Oriental Arms and he lists it as a short tulwar. BTW, the scabbard on this kind of sword will bring double the price? I know that original scabbards with indo-muslim pieces are rare and can increase value...but doubling the price?

BTW Harry..."Would love to see BirGhorka try to upgrade to this quality, but realistically appears this would be far down the road"

those are some harsh words for the kamis...;) The HI Kothimoda Katana you own is a far more elaborate weapon than what nearly any warrior of indian antiquity could hope to wield.

I have no doubt Bura or Durba could pull it off-The profile of the blade is very khuk like, and appears to be homogenous steel. The tulwar-esque handle config is somthing Bura knows how to do, and the koftgari on the handle, while very nice, isn't an incredibly difficult technique, and I have no doubt that the kamis- A.Already know how to do it or B.Could quickly learn. In fact, the recent full handle engravings on the HI saber would make an excellent base for koftgari -the pics Bill posted of it showed that the handle engraving was quite fancy and varied- if inlayed it would be much like "true" koftgari. Which is a kind of koftgari that is a bit more elaborate than that of the piece on this thread, as the piece is of (relatively)later make.

Once again, great piece!

Matt
 
Dropped by the Cantina this afternoon before heading home -

and Bill had just gotten in a new shipment. Very, very, very interesting, but out of courtesy I ain't telling nothing other than I swiped one ( and I ain't saying what ) out from under Harry that had his name on it.:D :D :D

On second thought - ;) ;) ;)
 
John,

That's tremendous. I hope you can get a picture of that in your book so I can at least drool on it. :)

N2S

BTW, I suspect there are kukries out their in the multiple $10xthousand range.
 
Hey buddy, there are beautiful antiques out there for very reasonable prices if you know where to be. $900-$1500 may be the standard price range for this and pieces similar to it on the "retail-esque" side of the market, but they can go for considerably less to someone who looks around. Case in point-I saw a certain style of shamshir on a popular, profit oriented antique site for $1500, and saw a very similar one on a site owned by a collector for less than 1/3 that price. Antiques are very much a part of the "value is determined by how much you are willing to pay" school of thought

In other words, you don't have to look at fine pieces in books, with a little digging, you can OWN them


regards
Matt
 
Originally posted by Matt B
In other words, you don't have to look at fine pieces in books, with a little digging, you can OWN them
Click to expand...

(Said softly, and with gentleness)

I'd rather think I could become it's caretaker for a short time. Someone sweated blood to produce these "things" that we value. Value in the sense of treasure. "Things" that represent virtues we can aspire to, a spirit that reminds us to ourselves be what we can and should become.

A khukuri that fails or breaks can literally be a matter of life or death as to how much you can harvest before the crop rots. A tarwar that fails or breaks leaves you defenseless and soon dead. And your loved ones in distress without you to care for them.

Here a blade failure is an inconvenience. In much of the world it's a betrayal of a trust, an unspoken contract between you and the blade's maker.

A Buck knife may be metalurgically stronger, better tempered, etc. I will instead take one made by a man who has earned a reputation among his fellows over one made to factory specs.

Edit: any philosophy spouted after midnight should be judged accordingly.
 
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