A longer than usual kris for comment

Croccifixio · 8th July 2016, 05:28 PM

Ah I had to discuss this over the weekend so before the day ended I just bought it. Sorry for the breach in the rules.

A pertinent statistic I forgot to post is the length of the piece in question:

32.5 inches overall with a 24.5 inch blade. Longer than I am used to (apart from some tourist kris I see all over the Philippines).

I was told the blade is Maguindanao with recent Sulu fittings. Given the inlays that seems to be the case. The fuller is nicely done. Uniform width throughout. The blade is a bit thinner than I'm used to seeing, but overall it feels very well balanced. The handle does seem a bit tight though. A mother of pearl panel at the very end is broken which I shall endeavor to remedy.

All in all I'm very happy with this purchase. My third non-repro moro weapon. There just might be a few interesting pieces left in Manila.

kai · 9th July 2016, 01:36 AM

Hello Joren,

Quote:

32.5 inches overall with a 24.5 inch blade. Longer than I am used to (apart from some tourist kris I see all over the Philippines).

The blade length would not be exceptional for a later Maguindanao kris like turn of the 19th century till early 20th century.

All 3 pieces seem to have received later Sulu fittings during their working life (with the barung blade being probably the oldest of the lot IMHO); the hilt of this kris seems to be a fairly late replacement though - well after WW2 and more like late 20th century (or possibly recent and artificially aged). I'd be tempted to try replacing it with a more traditional hilt style (make sure to keep the ferrule which seems to be genuine and old while the clamps could need a quality upgrade).

Quote:

I was told the blade is Maguindanao with recent Sulu fittings. Given the inlays that seems to be the case. The fuller is nicely done. Uniform width throughout. The blade is a bit thinner than I'm used to seeing, but overall it feels very well balanced.

Please post a close-up of the base of the blade taken from exactly above (a slight angle as in your pics can distort some features).

Quote:

There just might be a few interesting pieces left in Manila.

For sure; I understand that there are also some serious collectors in your neck of the woods. However, it is certainly way easier to grab some genuine, old Moro pieces in the US (often not "upgraded" or with later repairs/replacements and possibly for better prices, too).

Regards,
Kai

Croccifixio · 9th July 2016, 01:46 AM

A sad truth for us local collectors. Shipping and customs issues just makes epray way too hard a market to break through (though some pieces tempt, from time to time).

The proposition of replacing the hilt by myself scares me. While I've handled a great number of pieces, I am not well-versed in what features would be found in a hilt reconstruction despite reading so many posts here about those same features. What kind of hilt would you say fits this piece?

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8th July 2016, 05:28 PM	#1
Croccifixio Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 33	Ah I had to discuss this over the weekend so before the day ended I just bought it. Sorry for the breach in the rules. A pertinent statistic I forgot to post is the length of the piece in question: 32.5 inches overall with a 24.5 inch blade. Longer than I am used to (apart from some tourist kris I see all over the Philippines). I was told the blade is Maguindanao with recent Sulu fittings. Given the inlays that seems to be the case. The fuller is nicely done. Uniform width throughout. The blade is a bit thinner than I'm used to seeing, but overall it feels very well balanced. The handle does seem a bit tight though. A mother of pearl panel at the very end is broken which I shall endeavor to remedy. All in all I'm very happy with this purchase. My third non-repro moro weapon. There just might be a few interesting pieces left in Manila.

9th July 2016, 01:46 AM	#3
Croccifixio Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 33	A sad truth for us local collectors. Shipping and customs issues just makes epray way too hard a market to break through (though some pieces tempt, from time to time). The proposition of replacing the hilt by myself scares me. While I've handled a great number of pieces, I am not well-versed in what features would be found in a hilt reconstruction despite reading so many posts here about those same features. What kind of hilt would you say fits this piece?