whoever got the latest dha off Artzi's site

[RhysMichael]

To whoever got this http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=1997
Congratulations on a great buy. There are some interesting influences here I would love to see discussed. If you are comming to Timonium please bring this one up, I would love to see it

[Ian]

Not I, John, but certainly a nice sword.

Perhaps Artzi can share why he thought this one came from Laos. The blade and hilt look very much like the Thai "cavalry" swords (see also this recent one from ashoka -- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6581089929), but the scabbard with its "drag" and suspension rings (quite Western or Oriental in appearance) is atypical.

Here's another similar example courtesy of Marks' Dha Index: http://dharesearch.bowditch.us/C0050.htm

Very interesting sword.

Ian.

[Oriental-Arms]

We are definitely not Dah experts but one of the experts who looked at it suggested Laos or Cambodia (ratio of blade to handle length ). With quite some reservations (and with a big question mark) we put Laos and will correct it if needed.

I will ask the buyer to bring it to Baltimore

[Ian]

No need for a correction Artzi. Some N. Thai and Lao pieces are similar in their handle/blade ratio and there was probably cross-fertlization of styles.

Information on the Thai "cavalry" long-handled dha comes from Dan Wilke who did some work on the ground in Bangkok and N. Thailand a while ago and helped clarify that form of dha -- the style dates from the early 19th C.

To me, judging from the overall appearance and the unusual scabbard, your example would seem to be late 19th C., but there is such little data on these swords that dating them is almost entirely guess work.

Wish I had seen this one before it was snapped up.

Ian.