Help With a Moro Mystery Blade

VANDOO · 25th January 2009, 06:06 PM

NICE ONE AND GOOD WORK ON THE SCABBARD.

THE BLADE FORM MOST CLOSELY RESEMBLES THE PIRA WHICH DOES HAVE A CURVE TO THE BLADE AS WELL AS THE CLIPPED BOWIE STYLE TIP. THE HANDLE MORE CLOSELY RESEMBLES THE BANGKUNG WHICH ALSO HAS THE CLIPPED POINT BUT MORE OF A STRAIGHT BLADE. EXAMPLES CAN BE SEEN IN CATO'S BOOK ON PAGE 97 AND 99 ON PAGE 88 ARE PICTURES OF THE MORO SOUVINEER PLACKS.
YOUR SWORD REMINDS ME OF THE COLLECTION I BOUGHT A FEW YEARS BACK SEE SEVERAL POSTS IN ARCHIVES ON "VANDOO'S MORO SWORDS" UNFORTUNATELY THE PICTURES ARE MOSTLY GONE. MY SWORDS WERE MADE ON MINDANAO AND PURCHASED AROUND THE END OF WW2 IN ZAMBOANGA AND BROUGHT HOME IN 1946. I SUSPECT THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE , IF YOU DECIDE TO LET IT GO DROP ME A LINE AS I DON'T HAVE ONE OF THAT EXACT FORM AND IT WOULD GO WELL WITH THE SET I HAVE.

CharlesS · 25th January 2009, 06:13 PM

Robert, please see my revised post.

Vandoo, while it is logical to draw comparisons of this one to a pira, I do not believe it actually is a pira. The hilt looks like a rather typical barong simple jungayyan style to me.

kino · 25th January 2009, 07:38 PM

A very nice and unusual blade. A departure from the norm. Never seen one like it. Could it be a customer specefied blade shape. A European could have oredered it...????
Congrats on a great find.

VANDOO · 25th January 2009, 07:39 PM

TRUE IT IS NOT A PIRA OR A BANGKUNG BUT IT SHOWS INFLUENCE FROM BOTH AND HAS FEATURES SIMULAR TO BOTH. IT MAY HAVE BEEN FASHIONED AFTER SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY OR PATTERENED AFTER SOMETHING ON ONE OF THE MORO WEAPONS PLACKS. THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE WOULD BE TO ASK THE PERSON WHO MADE IT WHAT HE CALLED IT. THAT NOT BEING POSSIBLE ALL WE CAN DO IS RELY ON SURMIZE, GUESS AND LOGICAL COMPARISONS WHICH MAY BE ACCURATE OR NOT.

AT ANY RATE THE PERSON WHO MADE IT KNEW HIS BUSINESS AND DID A VERY GOOD JOB. THE REASON I GAVE THE INFORMATION AND ORIGIN ON MY GROUP OF SWORDS IS THE SIMULARITYS IN QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP AND APPERANT AGE OF THESE EXAMPLES. I HAVE NOT SEEN SIMULAR WORKMANSHIP OF THAT AGE OR QUALITY OR THE STRANGE FORMS OF MORO SWORDS FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE SO CAN ONLY BASE MY CONCLUSIONS ON WHAT I KNOW AND SUSPECT. SO UNTIL WE CAN COME UP WITH ANOTHER EXACT EXAMPLE WITH FULL PROVENANCE THATS THE BEST WE CAN DO.

25th January 2009, 06:06 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	NICE ONE AND GOOD WORK ON THE SCABBARD. THE BLADE FORM MOST CLOSELY RESEMBLES THE PIRA WHICH DOES HAVE A CURVE TO THE BLADE AS WELL AS THE CLIPPED BOWIE STYLE TIP. THE HANDLE MORE CLOSELY RESEMBLES THE BANGKUNG WHICH ALSO HAS THE CLIPPED POINT BUT MORE OF A STRAIGHT BLADE. EXAMPLES CAN BE SEEN IN CATO'S BOOK ON PAGE 97 AND 99 ON PAGE 88 ARE PICTURES OF THE MORO SOUVINEER PLACKS. YOUR SWORD REMINDS ME OF THE COLLECTION I BOUGHT A FEW YEARS BACK SEE SEVERAL POSTS IN ARCHIVES ON "VANDOO'S MORO SWORDS" UNFORTUNATELY THE PICTURES ARE MOSTLY GONE. MY SWORDS WERE MADE ON MINDANAO AND PURCHASED AROUND THE END OF WW2 IN ZAMBOANGA AND BROUGHT HOME IN 1946. I SUSPECT THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE , IF YOU DECIDE TO LET IT GO DROP ME A LINE AS I DON'T HAVE ONE OF THAT EXACT FORM AND IT WOULD GO WELL WITH THE SET I HAVE.

25th January 2009, 06:13 PM	#2
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,854	Robert, please see my revised post. Vandoo, while it is logical to draw comparisons of this one to a pira, I do not believe it actually is a pira. The hilt looks like a rather typical barong simple jungayyan style to me.

25th January 2009, 07:38 PM	#3
kino Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,018	A very nice and unusual blade. A departure from the norm. Never seen one like it. Could it be a customer specefied blade shape. A European could have oredered it...???? Congrats on a great find.

25th January 2009, 07:39 PM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	TRUE IT IS NOT A PIRA OR A BANGKUNG BUT IT SHOWS INFLUENCE FROM BOTH AND HAS FEATURES SIMULAR TO BOTH. IT MAY HAVE BEEN FASHIONED AFTER SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY OR PATTERENED AFTER SOMETHING ON ONE OF THE MORO WEAPONS PLACKS. THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE WOULD BE TO ASK THE PERSON WHO MADE IT WHAT HE CALLED IT. THAT NOT BEING POSSIBLE ALL WE CAN DO IS RELY ON SURMIZE, GUESS AND LOGICAL COMPARISONS WHICH MAY BE ACCURATE OR NOT. AT ANY RATE THE PERSON WHO MADE IT KNEW HIS BUSINESS AND DID A VERY GOOD JOB. THE REASON I GAVE THE INFORMATION AND ORIGIN ON MY GROUP OF SWORDS IS THE SIMULARITYS IN QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP AND APPERANT AGE OF THESE EXAMPLES. I HAVE NOT SEEN SIMULAR WORKMANSHIP OF THAT AGE OR QUALITY OR THE STRANGE FORMS OF MORO SWORDS FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE SO CAN ONLY BASE MY CONCLUSIONS ON WHAT I KNOW AND SUSPECT. SO UNTIL WE CAN COME UP WITH ANOTHER EXACT EXAMPLE WITH FULL PROVENANCE THATS THE BEST WE CAN DO.