Best sources for seeing,handling & purchasing Keris ?

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.

5th February 2005, 02:31 AM	#1
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	#3
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.