Estcrh! I take your point and have had the same thoughts myself but what puts some doubt in my mind is the weight of the hilt in comparison to the blade which I think it may be cause difficulties in suspending it in the normal type of scabbard, very top heavy although it fits beautifully in the hand and feels very comfortable to grip.
Tim, thanks for your input, have you any images or can you direct me to a reference as I have looked at North Africa and could not find anything similar.
Miguel