Afghan maybe

ariel · 9th March 2006, 09:11 PM

I fully agree: Afghan military. There were several of those on e-bay over the past ~3 years.

Rick · 9th March 2006, 09:17 PM

I tried to clue the Seller in as to what he had .
I guess he liked 'shamshir' better .
It has seen better days .

Valjhun · 9th March 2006, 09:25 PM

That seller is not stupid and he is a member of this forum, He probably knew what he's got, but shamshir asttires more, I guess

Nice toy, I'd like to have it, but I was late on that

Rick · 9th March 2006, 10:12 PM

These swords do not appear on the market very often .
I suspect that this one is a fairly early example but not 18th C.

Nagawarrior · 9th March 2006, 11:31 PM

I'll chime in with my 2 cents on this one. I have two examples of this particular sword. One, a standard issue, the other, a more elaborate example, purhaps for a soldier of some standing or body guard to an officer. Note the watered blade.
I believe this style to be a late 19th century, c. 1880 model afgan sword. I have a photo from a book as well. It is dated August of 1879. It pictures General Daoud Shah, the Afgan Cammander-in-Chief and his body guard who has one of these swords at his side.

Jim McDougall · 10th March 2006, 12:25 AM

The photo of General Daoud Shah is from "Northwest Frontier: People and Events 1839-1947" by Arthur Swinson (N.Y.1967).
I found this photo while researching one of these swords with a southern Calif. colleague in 1998. The example we were researching carried the date 1314 A.H. (1896 AD) and an arsenal mark reflecting the facade of the masjid at Mazir-i-Sharif. These were claimed to have been carried by bodyguards of Abdur Rahman Khan (r.1881-1901).
I have seen identifications of these swords from prior to that time in catalogs etc. ranging from 'Greek' to 'Spanish' with the arsenal mark claimed to be the 'Pillars of Hercules'!

It seems that later editions of these swords carry composite components including often brass guards and knucklebows and there are examples of these hilts on Khyber Knives...many of these are believed to have been used in the 3rd Afghan War in 1919.

Best regards,
Jim

Rick · 10th March 2006, 12:48 AM

Nagawarrior , that private purchase blade in your second example of this sword is quite impressive .

My example is seen below ; these standard blades have a magnificent 'ring' to them when tapped :

Nagawarrior · 10th March 2006, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

The photo of General Daoud Shah is from "Northwest Frontier: People and Events 1839-1947" by Arthur Swinson (N.Y.1967).
I found this photo while researching one of these swords with a southern Calif. colleague in 1998. The example we were researching carried the date 1314 A.H. (1896 AD) and an arsenal mark reflecting the facade of the masjid at Mazir-i-Sharif. These were claimed to have been carried by bodyguards of Abdur Rahman Khan (r.1881-1901).
I have seen identifications of these swords from prior to that time in catalogs etc. ranging from 'Greek' to 'Spanish' with the arsenal mark claimed to be the 'Pillars of Hercules'! :

Thank you for the additional informatio Jim. Very interesting. I came by the picture the same time I picked up the two swords. I believe mine has the arsenal mark you are talking about. See picture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

It seems that later editions of these swords carry composite components including often brass guards and knucklebows and there are examples of these hilts on Khyber Knives...many of these are believed to have been used in the 3rd Afghan War in 1919. :

Here is a picture of my Khyber knife with the same hilt. Thanks again Jim. I really appreciate your insight.
Best,
Stephen*

9th March 2006, 09:25 PM	#3
Valjhun Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 692	That seller is not stupid and he is a member of this forum, He probably knew what he's got, but shamshir asttires more, I guess Nice toy, I'd like to have it, but I was late on that Last edited by Valjhun; 9th March 2006 at 09:41 PM.

10th March 2006, 12:48 AM	#7
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	Nagawarrior , that private purchase blade in your second example of this sword is quite impressive . My example is seen below ; these standard blades have a magnificent 'ring' to them when tapped : Attached Images

9th March 2006, 09:11 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I fully agree: Afghan military. There were several of those on e-bay over the past ~3 years.

9th March 2006, 09:17 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	I tried to clue the Seller in as to what he had . I guess he liked 'shamshir' better . It has seen better days .

9th March 2006, 10:12 PM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	These swords do not appear on the market very often . I suspect that this one is a fairly early example but not 18th C.

9th March 2006, 11:31 PM	#5
Nagawarrior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Inland Empire, Southern California USA Posts: 160	I'll chime in with my 2 cents on this one. I have two examples of this particular sword. One, a standard issue, the other, a more elaborate example, purhaps for a soldier of some standing or body guard to an officer. Note the watered blade. I believe this style to be a late 19th century, c. 1880 model afgan sword. I have a photo from a book as well. It is dated August of 1879. It pictures General Daoud Shah, the Afgan Cammander-in-Chief and his body guard who has one of these swords at his side.

10th March 2006, 12:25 AM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	The photo of General Daoud Shah is from "Northwest Frontier: People and Events 1839-1947" by Arthur Swinson (N.Y.1967). I found this photo while researching one of these swords with a southern Calif. colleague in 1998. The example we were researching carried the date 1314 A.H. (1896 AD) and an arsenal mark reflecting the facade of the masjid at Mazir-i-Sharif. These were claimed to have been carried by bodyguards of Abdur Rahman Khan (r.1881-1901). I have seen identifications of these swords from prior to that time in catalogs etc. ranging from 'Greek' to 'Spanish' with the arsenal mark claimed to be the 'Pillars of Hercules'! It seems that later editions of these swords carry composite components including often brass guards and knucklebows and there are examples of these hilts on Khyber Knives...many of these are believed to have been used in the 3rd Afghan War in 1919. Best regards, Jim