Korean War Sword?
 

This was billed as a "Korean War Sword".
Not sure if they meant a sword from the Korean war, or that it was a war-sword from Korea. In any case, I have a feeling it is neither, and invite your opinions. I find Auctioneer's descriptions are often more humorous than factual.

To me it looks more like a blacksmith made Vietnamese Guom, what I'd call a 'villager, a local blacksmith's product for home defence.

90cm overall/ 70cm blade. labelled as made in 1940. Scabbard is wood in two halves held together with the thin steel bands and chape, no suspension rings. guard is not flimsy steel sheet metal, looks like it was forged/hammered to shape. Blade tang is peened over the end of the guard knuckle bow. Grip is substantial, and easily held with two hands. Blade is heavy, nicely distal tapered & Sharp as heck too. No markings of course. Suspect Vietnam/Cambodia...
(The black spot on the bolster is just that, a discolouration, not a hole, not even pitted. It needs a bit of TLC)

My Vietnamese Truong Dao has a rudimentary 'guard' plate at the grip/blade junction that is essentially a small octagonal steel plate. The Sword above has almost exactly the same plate with the upper guard branch and the knuckle bow emenating from the upper/lower flat edge of that octagonal plate.

Hi Wayne:

Largely agree with your thoughts. I think there is Chinese influence in the hilt, with a slightly down-curving grip and the (short) prong on the guard that bends down. That may suggest northern Vietnamese origin or perhaps southern China. The pointed toe of the scabbard could suggest a Cambodian origin, but otherwise not seeing much evidence for Cambodia as a source for this one. Pointed scabbards are seen on Vietnamese guom also.

Looks older than Korean War vintage to me, but hard to say from pictures alone.

Ian

Someone else suggested to me the cambodian possibility, since they are neighbours and have interacted and overlapped militarily in the past. I threw it in justincase. It had not entered my mind before tho. I have heard there is not a lot of info on cambodian sharp things.

Very true--good suggestion.

Not much to go on when it comes to Cambodian swords that i know of, but the upswept, pointed scabbard has been noted as a trait in the past.

What is the handle material?

Appears to be wood, painted red.

ok, I was hoping we might be able to discern the species of wood and narrow down origin.

Thanks to all for the comments. it's living on the shelf with the Truong Dao for the moment...