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Originally Posted by nechesh
Wayne, there is no extra work involved. These outfits are no doubt mass produced by the hundreds if not thousands. It is much easier and cheaper than commissioning a new wood, horn or ivory one or even refitting an old used one.
I also think your blade has some age and think it may actually be Sumatran work (there Rick, stuck my neck out  ) and is probably early 19thC. |
Hi nechesh,
If they are mass producing these (which makes sense, to recoup the cost of the molds, etc...) then this must be one of the first to hit the market. I have see fake keris in plastic dress sold with a Plaque before, this is the first keris only I have seen (with a real blade). Its seems the basic response has been to this thread, there haven't been very many floating around... I guess we need to get ready for the siege.
It seems to me a twist of irony (and more than random chance) to place a Sumatran keris in a plastic Sumatran dress (unless an inventory of different dress are keep - needing a higher investment... wow, are we going to see a lot of these things if that is the case). I think it would take some knowledge on the part of the supplier to pull that off (verses dumb luck). If one were to mass produce Sumatran dress and use Sumatran keris (assuming that is the only dress made)... the source would be Sumatran??? Or am I connecting too many dots. If we see Javanese keris in Javanese plastic dress... then, where will it stop.
Early 19c... Cool! I know there are good keris and not so good keris... but as Rick pointed out in another thread, " as cultural artifacts they are due a certain amount of respect." I may also add that they are history, little pieces of "frozen time" that you can hold in you hand and look upon with a sense of wonder.. thinking about who made them, how they were made, why were they made and for whom, what did it mean or represent... what has it witnessed over the pass two hundred or so years, the people that have coming in contact with it... the good, the bad and all that is in-between. This is what collecting is all about, other than having a cool looking antique hanging on the wall (yea, that's nice too).
Now if I could only teach the keris to speak (or that I learn to listen).