value of antique kris?

S

slayer1am

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Mar 28, 2009
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Hey, I'm new to this forum, so I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but I've got an opportunity to buy an old Indonesian kris executioner's blade. This guy I know, who is in his 60's and I trust him a great deal, said that his grandfather had it originally, and he had gotten the blade from the captain of a slave ship.

The blade is 18 inches long, double-edged, with a sort of damascus pattern on the steel. It's got a wood sheath, and there's carvings on the hilt, etc. This guy is saying he thinks the knife/dagger was made in the 17th century. My question is, what would be the best way to determine the value of a blade like that, as well as authenticity of it's origins?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
 
slayer1am said:
Hey, I'm new to this forum, so I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but I've got an opportunity to buy an old Indonesian kris executioner's blade. This guy I know, who is in his 60's and I trust him a great deal, said that his grandfather had it originally, and he had gotten the blade from the captain of a slave ship.

The blade is 18 inches long, double-edged, with a sort of damascus pattern on the steel. It's got a wood sheath, and there's carvings on the hilt, etc. This guy is saying he thinks the knife/dagger was made in the 17th century. My question is, what would be the best way to determine the value of a blade like that, as well as authenticity of it's origins?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
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Welcome to BF. There is a whole sub-forum devoted to knife identification and evaluation. The host is Bernard Levine. It can be found here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=691

BTW: one of the Moderators may move this over there for you, but reposting your question there won't hurt. Also, pictures make all this much easier.
 
Welcome to Blade forums. Without a picture, it is going to be next to impossible to help out with anything close to being a correct answer. Bernard is one of the most knife educated person around, but we are going to need a shot of the knife (maybe even several).
 
I just found out about this knife recently, so I'll see if I can get a picture up soon. When I get a pic, I'll post it here and in the sub-forum. I figured it wouldn't be easy, hopefully I can get more info within a couple of days.
 
You will need an expert (like Bernard) for this. A Kris (or keris as Indonesians call it) has sophisticated characteristics because it's half self-defense half ceremonial dagger. As such it can afford to be fancy, and in most cases it is.

Each damascus pattern has a name, as well as each ricasso decoration. An expert will be able to tell you whether all the elements of the keris is consistent with a particular time period and a particular region. I used to own one (which is why I know all this), but I'm not an expert.

Please exercise extra care not to get nicked by it, because traditionally Indonesians put poison on their kerises. If it's authentic it might very well have traces of poison.
 
Based on your description, it does sound like an original keris. If that's the case, and your estimate of the age is even remotely accurate, it's worth a fair amount of money. Anything further will have to await photos.
 
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