Talibon / Garab for Comment

[laEspadaAncha]

So in my effort to remain at least somewhat focused and prioritize collecting "wants" and "needs," I failed. Again.

I need to free up enough bones to cover the cost of a polish on an early tanto I recently acquired. (Okay... so "need" is a relative term, as I NEED to pay bills, eat, and sleep... and get this tanto polished!)

On the other hand, I've been wanting to acquire a nice older example of a talibon/garab for some time, and in said time have passed over some nice, decent examples, holding out for "The One."

Well, at an auction yesterday, I think I found The One.

The price was right, and the piece righteous (at least in my opinion).

Blade length measures approximately 40 cm, the pommel is made of either horn or really dense hardwood, and the spine measures 10 mm in thickness. There are a couple small pieces missing form the hilt, but IMO the damage is minimal, doesn't detract from the beauty of the form, and there is no differential in coloration between the surfaces of the breaks and the rest of the pommel, which IMO speaks to some age.

Samar? Late 19th C.?

[Robert]

Hello LaEspadaAncha and congratulations on this very fine addition to your collection. It is a beautiful piece and I would love to be able to add one like it to my own collection. Very nicely formed thick heavy blade and good carving on the fittings, a real working piece. As I am not very good at judging the age of pieces like this I will wait for others to give their opinion on that. Again, my congratulation on your new find.

Robert

[Battara]

Nice talibon. Looks like 1900's - 10's. These at these sizes are becoming harder to find - glad you got a bigger one.

[Sajen]

It's a very nice one and with a nearly complete handle and a very nice unbroken scabbard. I am with Robert about estimate the age but you may be right with your guess. My one isn't complete like yours but maybe with the same age. If you like I can post tomorrow some pictures.

Regards,

Detlef

[laEspadaAncha]

Thanks Robert, Jose, and Detlef for the feedback and input with regards to age, condition, etc.

There are a couple cracks in the scabbard, but as I don't intend on moving it much, I think I can conserve its present state without aggravating any condition issues.

Jose - for my own edification, are there stylistic nuances / elements that help you narrow down the age estimate to a decade, and if so, what are they?

Seems kind of odd to say, but the proportionality between the hilt and blade seems more graceful to the eye when in the hand than it appears in the photos...

[Spunjer]

yup, i'd say late 19th c/ early 20th c... the handle on yours is kamagong, a native hardwood. what you got is a smaller garab, since the blade on these are normally longer; around 18-19 inches. i have a similar type, see the similarities? understand at this point in time, samar was still a dangerous place; general smith just converted the place into a "howling wilderness", so there's no reason for the locals to make trinkets for the visiting soldiers.
the length of the blade on mine is the same: around 15 inches. IMHO, these were the 'sneaky' types... easy to sneak and do the job. still doesn't see the similarity? check the toe on the scabbard. it's the not to common type. congrats!

[laEspadaAncha]

Howdy Spunjer...

Thanks for the information and for posting your example - the similarities are striking... BTW, the "howling wilderness" comment reminded me of another post of yours from a thread a few months ago:






Detlef - I would indeed appreciate it if you could post your example as well? It would be nice to see other examples side-by-side (so to speak) so as to note similarities and differences... For instance, what marks a Leyte garab/talibon from one from Samar?

[Battara]

Bohol was also a nasty place for US soldiers. A group under a particular general (name escapes me now) from Cebu came to Bohol and became the dreaded "bolo men" of Bohol. Only at the end did they surrender and mine is a captured piece from that time and place (attribution written long ago on the scabbard).

[ThePepperSkull]

truly beautiful pieces, guys!

What I love about these older talibung/garab are the thickness of the blades. I like!

[Sajen]

Here is my modest one. Maybe someone can tell me from where this one is.

Regards,

Detlef

[Battara]

Detlef I would say that yours is also an earlier one. I would place it at the early 20th century. These to my knowledge are Cebuano from the island of Cebu.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Battara

Detlef I would say that yours is also an earlier one. I would place it at the early 20th century. These to my knowledge are Cebuano from the island of Cebu.

Thank you very much Jose. It's a pity that it is in such bad condition.

Regards,

Detlef

[Sajen]

BTW, want to remember this beautiful example which is now in the collection from Bill March. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=talibon

[Dimasalang]

Very nice piece LaEspadaAncha! I am still in search for a good complete sample of a talibon/garab for myself. And not one that is broken and has a missing scabbard. And its been years of looking already.

[laEspadaAncha]

Thanks, Dimasalang... I had passed on a similar (though not as large or embellished) at an estate sale up in North County a couple weeks ago and was regretting it after the fact until stumbling upon this piece.

Send me an email sometime with a contact number, and I'll let you know if/when I encounter another...

[Ferguson]

Very nice!
Steve