I've wanted one of these since I first saw one listed on the website of a dealer in ethnic weapons. Recently this one surfaced on ebay, fortunately for me with a poor photo and a worse description:
What surprised me was the hilt. Virtually every other one I've seen had had a hilt completely covered in engraved sheet brass. The only other example I've seen with this type of construction was described as a 'tribal' variant.
So, any comment, ideas as to how old, the reason for the different hilt, whatever? I want to learn more about my collection!
Fenris