Best sources for seeing,handling & purchasing Keris ?

Boswego · 4th February 2005, 11:16 PM

Rick & Necesh-Thanks for the great advice.Rick,You are right-on about good Referrence Books.The better educated Antique Dealers I've met over the last 35 years frequently spend hundreds to thousands annually on good Ref Books.Even w/ the Internet,You still need to shell out those precious doubloons for the scholarly hard copy.
P.S.-I really made My Darlins day when I brought this Keris home-ethnographic antiquities can have a lot of 'Power', artistically and 'vibe'-wise too.These Cultures really beleived and invested power into the creation and usage of these items(similar to a Catholic with a cherised Rosary or a relic from a Saint)-potent,fascinating stuff.

Rick · 4th February 2005, 11:49 PM

Boswego ,
You are located in an area which may well have a greater abundance of Moro swords as soldiers from both Oregon and WA. were well represented during the Span Am war ; I have bought a lot of old Philippine edged weapons from your area .

Also,
What you bought is a 'kris' a term we use here to identify Moro examples .
All the other types are referred to in this forum as 'keris' .

It's a niggling little point but it helps to define which form we are discussing .

BTW , I was wondering if Vancouver might also be an area of interest due to its burgeoning Asian populace .

There is a wealth of information to be found on this subject (kris keris) by searching the old forum archives , have fun .

It's too late for you now buddy , I can see the signs of addiction already .

Sang Keris · 5th February 2005, 01:57 AM

i don't think giving too much trust only to one dealer is wise...

the best way is you have to cross the information from every source......from dealers or collectors....

remember .. those dealers also have dealers.....tht's why a dealer have to be able to cross info from every dealers .....thats how they become a dealer.
u think someone can be a dealer without enough knowledge?

and ... do you really think, that you will have enough knowledge to make different between new and old keris from books?

Rick · 5th February 2005, 02:06 AM

Last warning Sang keris ........

All you do is muddy the waters around here .
I'm getting tired of it .

Boswego · 5th February 2005, 02:31 AM

Thanks for the tip about the correct term 'Kris' (it'll help w/ google purchases).
As for getting 'gyped'by a modern repro-after 35 years of collecting/dealing in antiques-I'm pretty good at sensing age... BUT.... I realize there are some brilliant forgers out there in everything from Chinese porcelains (of course in the 18th century they were forging Ming ceramics,and tons of 14th-16th century arms & armor were created in the 19th century).And my last,but not least wall of protection-I'm a confirmed Cheapskate ! (wont shell-out'real' money for something I have doubts about-until i hit the Lotto of course-then I'll gamble !).I'll have to check out some of the new Kris & Keris on the Web.....any highly reccommend good trustworthy sites online ?

Rick · 5th February 2005, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boswego

Thanks for the tip about the correct term 'Kris' (it'll help w/ google purchases).

Hi Boswego ,
I was referring to the forum as far as that terminology use goes .

You'll find the terms to be interchangeable on google .

I've spent almost as much time picking and selling as you have .

You do get an almost instinctual feel with time .

I've always loved old stuff (grew up on a farm built in 1690), how lucky I was .

Some places to start .
As always, caveat emptor .
http://www.vikingsword.com/ethsword/ethlinks.html

nechesh · 5th February 2005, 02:59 AM

Boswego, i also have two dealers i buy from almost exclusively (one more than the other), though i will, like you, take the "cheap-skate" special every now and then just on a lark. But i think it is most important to find someone you can really trust, especially when it comes to keris.
Rick is, of course, right, and to down-play the importance of educating oneself through reading on the subject would be a great mistake. No, you will not become an expert from reading books alone, but with guidance from others you can trust and looking at A LOT of keris, recognition of a good keris gets easier with time.

I think it would be inappropriate to make any dealer recommendations in this forum. Sorry.

4th February 2005, 11:49 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	One Thing Boswego , You are located in an area which may well have a greater abundance of Moro swords as soldiers from both Oregon and WA. were well represented during the Span Am war ; I have bought a lot of old Philippine edged weapons from your area . Also, What you bought is a 'kris' a term we use here to identify Moro examples . All the other types are referred to in this forum as 'keris' . It's a niggling little point but it helps to define which form we are discussing . BTW , I was wondering if Vancouver might also be an area of interest due to its burgeoning Asian populace . There is a wealth of information to be found on this subject (kris keris) by searching the old forum archives , have fun . It's too late for you now buddy , I can see the signs of addiction already .

4th February 2005, 11:16 PM	#1
Boswego Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 23	Rick & Necesh-Thanks for the great advice.Rick,You are right-on about good Referrence Books.The better educated Antique Dealers I've met over the last 35 years frequently spend hundreds to thousands annually on good Ref Books.Even w/ the Internet,You still need to shell out those precious doubloons for the scholarly hard copy. P.S.-I really made My Darlins day when I brought this Keris home-ethnographic antiquities can have a lot of 'Power', artistically and 'vibe'-wise too.These Cultures really beleived and invested power into the creation and usage of these items(similar to a Catholic with a cherised Rosary or a relic from a Saint)-potent,fascinating stuff.

5th February 2005, 01:57 AM	#3
Sang Keris Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indonesia Posts: 46	i don't think giving too much trust only to one dealer is wise... the best way is you have to cross the information from every source......from dealers or collectors.... remember .. those dealers also have dealers.....tht's why a dealer have to be able to cross info from every dealers .....thats how they become a dealer. u think someone can be a dealer without enough knowledge? and ... do you really think, that you will have enough knowledge to make different between new and old keris from books?

5th February 2005, 02:06 AM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	Last warning Sang keris ........ All you do is muddy the waters around here . I'm getting tired of it .

5th February 2005, 02:31 AM	#5
Boswego Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 23	Thanks for the tip about the correct term 'Kris' (it'll help w/ google purchases). As for getting 'gyped'by a modern repro-after 35 years of collecting/dealing in antiques-I'm pretty good at sensing age... BUT.... I realize there are some brilliant forgers out there in everything from Chinese porcelains (of course in the 18th century they were forging Ming ceramics,and tons of 14th-16th century arms & armor were created in the 19th century).And my last,but not least wall of protection-I'm a confirmed Cheapskate ! (wont shell-out'real' money for something I have doubts about-until i hit the Lotto of course-then I'll gamble !).I'll have to check out some of the new Kris & Keris on the Web.....any highly reccommend good trustworthy sites online ?

5th February 2005, 02:59 AM	#7
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	Boswego, i also have two dealers i buy from almost exclusively (one more than the other), though i will, like you, take the "cheap-skate" special every now and then just on a lark. But i think it is most important to find someone you can really trust, especially when it comes to keris. Rick is, of course, right, and to down-play the importance of educating oneself through reading on the subject would be a great mistake. No, you will not become an expert from reading books alone, but with guidance from others you can trust and looking at A LOT of keris, recognition of a good keris gets easier with time. I think it would be inappropriate to make any dealer recommendations in this forum. Sorry.