What can you tell me about this sword?

[erikmarko]

Hi guys I have a Imperial Russia shashka sword. Can someone tell me how old this is and what do the symbols (moon/stars/sun and numbers) mean on the blade? Would this be actually be a fighting sword or just for show? Here is the link to my earlier post about it....

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/po...this-is.41516/

[Robert]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am sure that someone more versed in this style of sword will be along shortly that can answer your questions. I would mention though that when asking for help and information it would be more appropriate if you were to post photos of the item in question directly to this thread instead of posting a link to a thread in another forum.

Best,
Robert

[Ren Ren]

Hi, Erik!

According to the submitted photos with a confidence of 98%, I can say that this is a high-quality fake. Made probably in Georgia.
At present, a lot of good fakes are being made in Russia and Georgia. Masters have original things before their eyes, therefore it is difficult to distinguish.
On the hilt of your shashka there is a monogram of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II. If it were original, this would mean that the item belonged to the emperor personally or was personally presented to someone as a sign of special merit. But such items have been preserved very, very few and their fate is known.

[mahratt]

I think, Ren Ren, says absolutely right.

Today I will have a Russian collector visiting me who collects Caucasian and Russian weapons and I will show him photographs. He will say absolutely for sure.

[corrado26]

I think this is one of hundreds of extremely well made fakes coming up from Russia in the last years what was reason enough for me to stop every deal with Russian or Polish dealers or collectors.
corrado26

[erikmarko]

Hmm very interesting, if it's fake it sure looks old. Check out the pictures of the blade. It's in pretty rough shape with lots of rust/pitting. Can that be reproduced? Does this change your opinion?

Thanks

[erikmarko]

Here is a close up of the hilt...

[Battara]

erikmarko,

It would be good to post those pictures and not rely on a link, please.

[ariel]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

According to the submitted photos with a confidence of 98%, I can say that this is a high-quality fake. Made probably in Georgia.
At present, a lot of good fakes are being made in Russia and Georgia. Masters have original things before their eyes, therefore it is difficult to distinguish.

Unfortunately, this is true. Russia has become a world leader in at least one field: forgery of antiques. Their quality ranges from atrocious to superb.

This is the reason why Russian collectors are so paranoid: the likelihood of an expensive antique sword offered from anywhere in the world appears to them being 99%.

I can understand them: as an old Russian proverb says, being burnt by hot milk, one starts blowing air on a cow.

Well, even paranoiacs have real enemies:-((((

[erikmarko]

Oh so just because it is very unlikely that it would be real, it's considered fake? Or can you guys actually see signs of fake symbols/mass production or man made patina/pitting/corrosion? Can someone point out these signs to me?

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by erikmarko

Oh so just because it is very unlikely that it would be real, it's considered fake? Or can you guys actually see signs of fake symbols/mass production or man made patina/pitting/corrosion? Can someone point out these signs to me?

Hello, erikmarko

Yesterday my friend came to me - a collector of Caucasian and Russian weapons. He looked at the photo and said that he was 90% sure (you can be 100% sure only when the item is in your hands) that this is an old shashka for the late 19th – early 20th century. He believes that the shashka belonged to an officer of the Russian Empire, so the Emperor’s monogram on the hilt is normal. A blade with an engraving of low quality, according to my friend, was simply made not in a large well-known weapon manufacturing center (such as Kubachi), but somewhere in the periphery.
For me, a good argument that your shashka is genuine was the words of my friend that he was ready to buy it from you

[Ren Ren]

Being a leader is very difficult. In the lower - atrocious - segment of the market, it makes no sense to compete with China, India and Pakistan. In the high segment, Russia is being squeezed by Poland, Ukraine and Georgia

[corrado26]

Simply a look at the ridiculous bad quality of the engravings of the blade that never would have been accepted in old times shows impressivly that this sword is a fake only made for deceiving collectors.
corrado26