guys any idea about this dagger

guys i found this on a Sri Lankan online auction. Do you guys have any idea over it. It is said to silver the not the hold of the dagger but the artwork that runs thru around half of the blade. These guys state it is of Kandyan era. any guys who are familiar with those kind of dagger. Whether its a new or and old one.

 

I know blades..........but not this one!

 

One of my friends called its the Kaetta. But he also doesnt know more than that

 

Sri Lankan piha-kaetta knife.Was the photo taken at a museum?

 

No it was from an auction house in colombo 7. They said it is around $300. I am still thinking whether to purchase it or not. They grey color is of a online poster they sent when to mail weekly.

 

I cropped the part of the poster it also included some killotte copper brass and silver

 

Mariyan, it is beautiful. As Holly said, it is a Piha-Kaetta dagger, also known as Pihiya. Most of the ones I've seen are Kandy era, 18th century.


http://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/1398.html


http://armsandantiques.com/fine-18th-c-ceylonese-sri-lankan-pia-kaetta-dagger-id718

This one comes with a sheath, and a stylus for writing, so more than the one in the auction, but at least it shows a price:

http://mandarinmansion.com/unusual-pihiya-piha-kaetta

The value of the one in the auction also depends on materials and condition. I can't advise you on what to do. I don't know the market in Sri Lanka.
If it is Kandy era and the condition is good, I think collectors overhere would pay $300 without the blink of an eye.

 

Hey thanks a lot at any Jewelry. I think in the poster it is not visible. but i saw the hand is made of ivory as i believe. I try to put a colored pic if possible. Actually in Sri Lanka 300$ is some money. That's why i am having second thoughts.

 

Ivory was often stained to look like ebony. In times past ebony, which had to be imported from Africa, was more expensive than ivory in Asia.

 

Really? Thanks a lot. Now in Sri Lanka it is prohibited to export stuff made of Ebony and Ivory.

 

I have a book on knives guide and found one small section on Sri lanka Kaetta. It is published 8 years ago but could give an idea.It shows similar pricing range(with the price you mentioned..) for two 19th century pieces. But the Kandyan era stayed for several centuries and it could have been helpful if they gave a more narrower period. Without advising you on what to do, I could take a screen photo and post you the page to help you compare the photos with yours. However I am not sure of copyright rules of the forum.
TTA

 

Hey that would be lovely @ttanqiues. would very much appreciate if you could do that. I am also not sure about the rules of this website. by the way what is the name of the book

 

the name of the book is "Blade's guide to knives and their values -7t edition 2009"..if their is a private messaging facility i could also send you that way..
TTA

 

Hey i downloaded the pdf. Yes i saw that it is around 375$ right? Thanks a lot at tt antique

 

Yeah Mariyan...you got it ..good luck..
TTA

 

Hey thanks a lot @TTantique