Condition- What is acceptable???

Bill M · 8th March 2007, 07:40 PM

I agree, Lew that the furniture or dress is not usually original to the dress. It can be changed several times during the lifetime of each owner. But iI have a problem getting good dress. If I make it myself, it will look like I did!

And somehow a naked Javanese keris laying in my case just looks wrong. The hilts are availiable, but the scabbards are hard to find.

Perhaps one day my woodworking skills will improve, or I'll get a contact who can make good dress.

But I would certainly not turn down a good blade because it had no dress, I would just prefer that it did.

I also agree with you that the blade is the most important part of any kris/kris.

tom hyle · 12th March 2007, 05:30 PM

Bends and twists to blades, which are as often caused during hardening as later during use or abuse, are traditionally of no note/existence on the antique market unless very extreme indeed. This used to frustrate me greatly, as my interest in swords was initially a purely martial arts/practical use one. Likewise, with a partial exception for Japanese swords, quality of temper is of no interest to the antique market.
Damage should be disclosed, but can vary greatly in detail; you can always ask for clarification of, say "rusty but solid"
Slight wiggle to a hilt can often pass un-noted (especially by nonexperts) as a similarly unimportant/expected detail; if there were no explicit claims of tight and sound or whatever, there's not much to say there.
Keep in mind that on ebay for instance, you are buying from persons often without expertise or INTEREST in the item or its field, so the line of ignorance vs. negligence is much harder to draw than with a dealer.
As for what I find acceptable conditionwise, I prefer that at least one other collector somewhere would consider an item "ruined, just ruined" before I buy it

8th March 2007, 07:40 PM	#1
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	I agree, Lew that the furniture or dress is not usually original to the dress. It can be changed several times during the lifetime of each owner. But iI have a problem getting good dress. If I make it myself, it will look like I did! And somehow a naked Javanese keris laying in my case just looks wrong. The hilts are availiable, but the scabbards are hard to find. Perhaps one day my woodworking skills will improve, or I'll get a contact who can make good dress. But I would certainly not turn down a good blade because it had no dress, I would just prefer that it did. I also agree with you that the blade is the most important part of any kris/kris.

12th March 2007, 05:30 PM	#2
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Bends and twists to blades, which are as often caused during hardening as later during use or abuse, are traditionally of no note/existence on the antique market unless very extreme indeed. This used to frustrate me greatly, as my interest in swords was initially a purely martial arts/practical use one. Likewise, with a partial exception for Japanese swords, quality of temper is of no interest to the antique market. Damage should be disclosed, but can vary greatly in detail; you can always ask for clarification of, say "rusty but solid" Slight wiggle to a hilt can often pass un-noted (especially by nonexperts) as a similarly unimportant/expected detail; if there were no explicit claims of tight and sound or whatever, there's not much to say there. Keep in mind that on ebay for instance, you are buying from persons often without expertise or INTEREST in the item or its field, so the line of ignorance vs. negligence is much harder to draw than with a dealer. As for what I find acceptable conditionwise, I prefer that at least one other collector somewhere would consider an item "ruined, just ruined" before I buy it