Hmmm... Well, now you have picqued my curiosity. I have an old shortsword/hanger, carved tropical wood hilt with a pattern exactly matching a museum Dutch smallsword of known VOC use (the museum sword is Singhalese-made with ivory hilt). Mine is of much more primative-styling, but I always suspected that mine was likewise made for the Dutch East India Company (my sword dates to around the Anglo-Dutch War of 1660-70 in Ceylon). I bring this up because the only marking I have on mine is a series of 4 dots/punches in a diamond pattern almost exactly as appears on your blade near the VOC marking. Could this be a forgotten/lost marking associated with the Company? Interesting...
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