Russian Khyber knife

ariel · 20th April 2016, 04:06 AM

Teodor,
I mentioned its asking price just to assure the audience that the seller was not grotesquely unreasonable; he asked a price comparable or even lower than many other similar items. Still, the seller's listing price, although extremely modest in absolute terms, was IMHO too high : khybers of similar quality have been sold ( not listed!) for ~ $100-200 less, not nearly enough to justify selling a fake and ruining his reputations as a respected dealer.

It surely does not mean IMHO that potential buyers were turned off by the stamp.

I acknowledge comments of Russian collectors, but the mark is identical to the pic ( small rectangle , lower left corner of the upper pic of my examples) that is taken from the official academic, referenced Russian site. Thus, we have academic document against personal opinions.

I see nothing that would convince me that the Khyber stamp is a fake: no difference in execution, no reason for the seller to gain anything from a forgery.

I have no dog in this fight: I did not buy this Khyber, nor do I intend to. This is just a puzzling historical query. If somebody here with a genuine knowledge and factual evidence proves that the stamp is a fake, I shall be only delighted to learn something new.

Thus, I view this issue as still open.

With best wishes.

20th April 2016, 04:06 AM	#18
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Teodor, I mentioned its asking price just to assure the audience that the seller was not grotesquely unreasonable; he asked a price comparable or even lower than many other similar items. Still, the seller's listing price, although extremely modest in absolute terms, was IMHO too high : khybers of similar quality have been sold ( not listed!) for ~ $100-200 less, not nearly enough to justify selling a fake and ruining his reputations as a respected dealer. It surely does not mean IMHO that potential buyers were turned off by the stamp. I acknowledge comments of Russian collectors, but the mark is identical to the pic ( small rectangle , lower left corner of the upper pic of my examples) that is taken from the official academic, referenced Russian site. Thus, we have academic document against personal opinions. I see nothing that would convince me that the Khyber stamp is a fake: no difference in execution, no reason for the seller to gain anything from a forgery. I have no dog in this fight: I did not buy this Khyber, nor do I intend to. This is just a puzzling historical query. If somebody here with a genuine knowledge and factual evidence proves that the stamp is a fake, I shall be only delighted to learn something new. Thus, I view this issue as still open. With best wishes. Last edited by Jim McDougall; 20th April 2016 at 06:23 AM.