I don't see the lack of edge as a big deal. Some elbow grease and a few minutes with a bastard file would be all it'd take to solve that problem. Who knows if it would keep an edge though. The blade had a nice spring temper and on the whole is quite sturdily built. It feels just as usable as a truck spring takouba or kaskara.
I think all we can infer from the blunt edge is that its original owner never intended to use it as a weapon. I think saying it was built to be a costume piece or a wall decoration for some foreigner , IE it wasn't made in the traditional manner or up to weapon grade quality, would be going too far. I think I read somewhere that the Mandinka were known for their leather work, and the blades were just whatever they could get their hands on.
Back to the sword itself, I noticed the "teeth" in the back of the blade are only on the curved part of the blade. Could these actually be impact marks from a hammer? Like perhaps they heated a straight sheet of metal up and pounded a curve into it?
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