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Old 6th February 2012, 03:03 AM   #4
ThePepperSkull
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 338
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You've got a recently made Bicolano blade. Quality of these made today are about the same except that they now shellac the wood scabbards and the grind marks on the blades are more obvious/apparent on newer ones. I'm guessing yours is recent but not as recent as this, as in post WWII, but pre 1970's. Like Jose said, made in the same region as the Minasbad, but lacks the trademark shape and d-guard to be an actual Minasbad.

Older pieces have iron fittings instead of brass and the carvings are much smoother/rounder rather than angular.

Interesting to note about this piece -- Bicol is located in the southern region of Luzon, almost the Visayas, so blades from this area have an amalgam of features from both regions. The figural hilts and blade shapes typically seen in Visayan blades are a feature used on many Bicolano blades, whereas the blade geometry is more similar to Luzon, in its double-beveled "lenticular" shape rather than the visayan single bevel.
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