Identifying Pamor for a First Keris

A. G. Maisey · 11th May 2019, 11:32 PM

I apologise for my late arrival to this thread.

I can see very little, if anything, of Bali in this blade. I do not see a current era blade, and I am inclined to the assumption that it is very probably of Lombok origin.

Flight time from Manilla to Jakarta is about 4 hours, add the 3 hour lead in time on international flights, the time to clear immigration and Customs in Indonesia, and the time to a Jakarta hotel from the airport, and you're looking at a day, hotel to hotel.

Strange as it may seem, carrying a keris into Indonesia can be difficult, occasionally disastrous. It is a weapon, all weapons must be declared on entry. Get an unsympathetic Customs officer, you can lose it, or at best be given the option of sending it back to where you come from.

Taking a keris out of Indonesia usually poses no problems, but sending one out by mail can become a nightmare. There are ways around the problems, and it helps if you can speak Indonesian and understand the societal mores.

Getting a new scabbard made to order, and having the blade stained may not be quite so simple as it might seem to be. Carefully refitting the blade to the existing scabbard and learning to do the restain yourself might be the wiser option.

The wood in this scabbard would be impossible to obtain at the present time, and even another type of wood that was equal in quality would also be somewhere between difficult and impossible to obtain. This is nice dress on this keris, and it should be retained.

11th May 2019, 11:32 PM	#16
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	I apologise for my late arrival to this thread. I can see very little, if anything, of Bali in this blade. I do not see a current era blade, and I am inclined to the assumption that it is very probably of Lombok origin. Flight time from Manilla to Jakarta is about 4 hours, add the 3 hour lead in time on international flights, the time to clear immigration and Customs in Indonesia, and the time to a Jakarta hotel from the airport, and you're looking at a day, hotel to hotel. Strange as it may seem, carrying a keris into Indonesia can be difficult, occasionally disastrous. It is a weapon, all weapons must be declared on entry. Get an unsympathetic Customs officer, you can lose it, or at best be given the option of sending it back to where you come from. Taking a keris out of Indonesia usually poses no problems, but sending one out by mail can become a nightmare. There are ways around the problems, and it helps if you can speak Indonesian and understand the societal mores. Getting a new scabbard made to order, and having the blade stained may not be quite so simple as it might seem to be. Carefully refitting the blade to the existing scabbard and learning to do the restain yourself might be the wiser option. The wood in this scabbard would be impossible to obtain at the present time, and even another type of wood that was equal in quality would also be somewhere between difficult and impossible to obtain. This is nice dress on this keris, and it should be retained.