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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Hi Fenris,
The mounts on this 'nimcha' are fantastic! and the old European trade blade is intriguing. It is interesting that, as you note, such a worn blade would be placed in such sumptuous mounts. However, European blades were of course the much sought after standard, and were typically remounted numerous times over thier working life, which of course extends well into the 20th century.
Outstanding piece!!!
All the best,
Jim
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Thanks, Jim! This is definitely the gem of my collection, and one of those cases of being in the right place at the right time. I'll be chortling over this one for years; I didn't even have anyone bidding against me! I think it may have been a case of other potential buyers not recognizing what they were seeing. The pics the seller posted were just poor enough that it could've been easy to dismiss the fancy metal work as tourist junk, which unfortunately many of the pieces coming out of Morocco are. What gave it away for me was the extra work that had been put into the harness rings. The spiralled metal combined with the thicker material cued me into taking a closer look and realizing that the fittings were not trash.
Thank you for the information as to the possible sources for the markings on the blade. I wish the initial buyer had asked more questions of the Berber family from whom he purchased it, or if he did, had recorded the information. All I have is that the family lived in the mountains, but which mountains? At this point it is of course nothing more than pure speculation, but I can only believe that the blade was some form of family heirloom with significance to its owner beyond its basic function. At least no other theory I can think of would explain the huge difference between the opulence of the fittings and the decidedly 'shaggy dog' nature of the blade.
I'm still figuring out how to get the best pics possible out of my little digital camera. As soon as I manage some better ones of the marks on the blade I'll post them, as well as a better series of pics of the engraving on the scabbard and hilt.
Thanks again for your help!
Fenris