There once was a study of auction bidding. Apparently, the real worth of any item is the mean of all bids, from the opening to the final. If this is true, the winner always overplays due to the "feeding frenzy". Indeed, the number of bids on this sword vastly exceeded any other "competition". It was the " in for a penny, in for a pound" situation.
But be it as it may, and despite the fact that there are damages to the enamel and that most gems were lost, such a handle together with the original en suite scabbard are extremely rare.
I can see an enthusiastic collector ready to pay a bundle and and a half for it.
And, BTW, $32,940 is the winning bid of 27,000 + 5,940 ( 22% commission on Live Auctioneers). The total is "price realized".
And yes, it is wootz: look at the left side of the close-up of the blade. It needs good etching, of course.
Lahore and Jaipur enamels are extremely valuable, and highly-embellished weapons were obligatory for the uppermost class of Indian nobility. This tulwar was not intended for battle use.
Last edited by ariel; 12th July 2016 at 11:18 AM.
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