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Originally Posted by capt.smash
....IMHO it went quite cheep.
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Smashy, I don't really know how the market values Lumad swords these days. Some Bagobo and Mandaya swords seem to have taken off lately, but prices on other Lumad weapons remain depressed. Recently, we have seen a couple of nice Bagobo and Mandaya bolos in the $300-400 range and even a little higher. IMO I think the Kaolu sword that just sold on eBay is every bit as good as the better known Bagobo and Mandaya swords that sold for more in the last few months. Your comment may have a lot of truth.
I've been collecting Lumad swords for about ten years, mainly buying on trips to Manila and Davao City, plus a few items off eBay. Up until about three years ago it seems that very few people were interested in Lumad weapons. Good quality, older pieces were available for relatively little, and there was no real buying competition in the marketplace. Discussions here may have helped highlight these weapons, but the main influence has been the increased marketing of these swords out of Davao City as Moro weapons have become harder for dealers to find.
As Moro weapons become even more scarce (at least the older ones of better quality) we may see a further rise in popularity of the Lumad weapons. Certainly, there is an attempt to pass off some Lumad items as "Moro," but that may be partly a lack of knowledge rather than deliberate misinformation. A buyer needs to be careful and well informed about Lumad weapons to avoid making mistakes. I think knowledge has increased among collectors in recent years.