Sword with Wooden Carved Handle, Any Ideas?

Hi All

I have been donated a couple of unusual swords, they look old, the sleeve is one piece of solid would which has been hollowed, they both look very old and rather unusual,,

If anyone has any ideas please let me know

Thanks

Martin
RSPCA

 

Indonesian. The one you show out of the sheaf is a kris.

 

An awful lot of these are made for the tourist trade. These are probably from this class. Tribally made and used examples can be quite valuable.

The larger one looks too fancy for any function, the smaller less so.

I'd say more Malay than Indonesian, but they are found all over the region. Assuming they are, as they seem, tourist pieces, I'd see the in auction at an estimate of £30 to £50 the pair.

 

It looks like the blade may be Damascus steel, and if real Damascus rather than faked to look like it (which could well be the case), that might add to the value.
I might add that people are often fooled into thinking these are older than they really are by the rust; but because they are often made of rather poor-quality steel they can rust very quickly, within just a few years.

 

It's not at all hard to make steel with the surface character of Damascus steel, you grab a few pieces of ree-bar, hammer them out flat and together in a blacksmith's shop. Cheap and simple.

This is how the original Damacus steel was made, the hammering and forging reduced the carbon content of the iron, making a stronger steel. If you start with mild steel already, the process just gives a Damascus appearance. It is not difficult or expensive, unlike the very similar but vastly more difficult multi layer forging that the finest Japanese blade makers use.

 

Indeed, AF. So for me, I'm not sure I can tell the difference between good and bad from a pic...I'm sure maybe others can. And while I can recognize old patina in-hand, it is harder in a pic.

 

Thank you so much everyone for all the comments on this post