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Originally Posted by Ian
You have a Burmese dha probably from the second half of the 19th C or early 20th C. The koftgari work at forte, the widely fullered blade, and the tripartite hilt are typical Burmese work of that period. Your example appears to have some age to it and may be an early example of this style, which also includes the familiar story dha that employ the same koftgari technique on the blade. After about the 1920s these koftgari-decorated dha underwent a steady decline in the quality of materials and workmanship. Later versions had very poor quality blades, the koftgari work was more crudely executed, and repoussed brass hilts and scabbards were featured.
I have heard that many of this type of dha were made or sold in Rangoon (Yangon) to wealthy Burmese and British administrators, planters, and tourists. The fact that you picked it up in Yangon could be consistent with those accounts.
Nice dha. Congratulations on your find.
Ian.
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A fair assessment Ian. First half of the 20th century would be my guess from the photos.
It does need to be added, that the "decline" in quality is not always true and each Dah must be looked at in context.
Quality and purity in dress and blade type did continue past WWII.
Gavin