I am also wondering about the Afghani attribution on this khanjhar, and how the veiled reference to the 'Moser' collection supports this. While the suggestion of support from this venerable and now considerably elusive source adds compelling character to the dagger, it is surprising more detail is not with it. I know that Artzi had visited the collection c.1994 (before it was stored away) and considering the volume of dealings he has engaged in daily for decades it seems unfathomable that a dealer of this stature does not have a copy of this valuable work, or a facsimile...at least of the 1955 edition.
I personally would like to know what characterizes this dagger as Afghan, as the wootz pattern resembling Persian does not signify Afghan provenance as far as I am aware. Persian blades and weapons were however highly prized in Arabia . If there were a number of these khanjhars in the Moser collection which had key elements comparable to this one, and all had been collected by Moser in Afghanistan in his travels, then it would have been noted in some degree in subsequent references which used Moser as a benchmark.
Despite the mysterious attribution and temptingly placed reference to the Moser Collection, this is a beautiful khanjhar of outstanding quality, though not necessarily associated with Afghanistan.
As always, looking forward to other views as well as further substantiation concerning the Moser reference. It would be interesting to know what exactly suggests this is Afghan.
All the best,
Jim
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