The carving on the silver looks fresh. There's no wear on the edges from carrying. It looks like it was either made recently, or boxed right after being finished and never used or carried.
Given that it seems to have had no use, and that these have not been in regular use since at least WWII era, I'd guess that it is of recent construction, well made in traditional form, but not an artifact of the actual period of use.
It's attractive, and apparently not terribly costly to obtain. It is representative of a tradition, but probably not an actual part of it. As such, it has a place in a collection, within the parameters described. Can it be called a "tourist" item? I don't know, and I admit that such a designation seems faintly pejorative. It does seem to be of some quality, which would elevate it.
I can't judge the quality of the silver, and I'm sufficiently ignorant to say whether it falls within the range typical of such objects, but that might be of interest to those whose knowledge of the subject exceeds my own. (That would be a large group indeed.)
Not very helpful, alas.
|