Jambiya for Identification

kahnjar1 · 18th November 2011, 08:20 PM

Hi Stan,
I agree with those above who say that even those who have collected for many years, still get stung sometimes. There are those out there who are turning out extremely good modern made items and asking silly prices for what is, actually only a replica. Personally I detest that sort of thing and if I DO get stung from one of those sources, then there is no way I would ever deal with it again.
An old collector friend of mine once said to me that if an item does not look quite right, then it probably isn't......and I am sure he was right about that.
Pictures unfortunately can hide many things, and IMHO the only way to be sure, is to physically hold the item in your hand before buying. With internet selling of course it is impossible to do that, BUT you can ask questions thru the system and if a seller has not told the truth, there are usually ways to retrieve your $, provided you keep a "paper trail". Also as DOM said, be very suspect of poor quality photos.
Regards Stu

Stan S. · 18th November 2011, 10:15 PM

Thank you gentlemen for the kind words of encouragement. I am not afraid to look foolish (sometimes all it takes is a good look in the mirror to know that one can’t hide the truth

). While I may not have been collecting as long and as extensively as some of the members here, I too have had my experiences both with getting duped and finding terrific bargains from uneducated folks who don’t know or don’t care about the value of what they are selling. In fact, I have to admit that I have a few handmade, good quality replicas in my collection that I bought on a whim and never regret doing so.

The seller of this dagger did not make any representations in regards to its age other than saying that is is old, which is a relative term. I saw the item and judged it to be from the early 20th century (WW1 era). Few things looked a bit suspicious to me but I took the risk. Despite this alledgedly being a tourist piece it does not appear to be cheaply made, and as such will find its rightful place on my wall. Of course I will be able to better judge what I have once the item reaches me by mail. In any case, my mistake only sets me back $65, so not a tremendous loss and it is still a pretty cool looking dagger.

Thanks again to all who replied. I look forward to learning more from this forum and from each of you.

18th November 2011, 08:20 PM	#1
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,789	Hi Stan, I agree with those above who say that even those who have collected for many years, still get stung sometimes. There are those out there who are turning out extremely good modern made items and asking silly prices for what is, actually only a replica. Personally I detest that sort of thing and if I DO get stung from one of those sources, then there is no way I would ever deal with it again. An old collector friend of mine once said to me that if an item does not look quite right, then it probably isn't......and I am sure he was right about that. Pictures unfortunately can hide many things, and IMHO the only way to be sure, is to physically hold the item in your hand before buying. With internet selling of course it is impossible to do that, BUT you can ask questions thru the system and if a seller has not told the truth, there are usually ways to retrieve your $, provided you keep a "paper trail". Also as DOM said, be very suspect of poor quality photos. Regards Stu

18th November 2011, 10:15 PM	#2
Stan S. Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Brooklyn, NY USA Posts: 227	Thank you gentlemen for the kind words of encouragement. I am not afraid to look foolish (sometimes all it takes is a good look in the mirror to know that one can’t hide the truth ). While I may not have been collecting as long and as extensively as some of the members here, I too have had my experiences both with getting duped and finding terrific bargains from uneducated folks who don’t know or don’t care about the value of what they are selling. In fact, I have to admit that I have a few handmade, good quality replicas in my collection that I bought on a whim and never regret doing so. The seller of this dagger did not make any representations in regards to its age other than saying that is is old, which is a relative term. I saw the item and judged it to be from the early 20th century (WW1 era). Few things looked a bit suspicious to me but I took the risk. Despite this alledgedly being a tourist piece it does not appear to be cheaply made, and as such will find its rightful place on my wall. Of course I will be able to better judge what I have once the item reaches me by mail. In any case, my mistake only sets me back $65, so not a tremendous loss and it is still a pretty cool looking dagger. Thanks again to all who replied. I look forward to learning more from this forum and from each of you.