I found someone selling a whole bunch of Indonesian Krises in an internet auction. These are squiggly bladed daggers found in the mainland Pacific cultures and nearby island nations even into the Philippine region and sometimnes southweastern India.
Their blades are typically made of alloys of meteor iron, nickle alloys, low carbon iron, etc. They have striking patterns and swirls which have been developed and named over the centuries. The wooden sheaths, and metallic coverings, and other predictable knife/sword components are all named, detailed, and variable from historical period to period.
Ordinary items of this sort six or more years ago brought a good price. The groups which I bought into had six items whose owner listed a good period history and presumed century of origin. Some of this stuff went back to design forms of the twelfth century and others up through the 16th-17th. The non-blade components were relatively newer but the ivory handles were darkened with age.
For whatever reason these went, in my case, from $49 to maybe $86. My best guess was most of the bidders were little old lady antique dealers. I noted to the dealer who was selling this collection for someone that this stuff was going for nothing. He said that in the last six years there was a dedcline in the market for collectibles.
Due to the resistant strengths of the metals used in these blades the routine ritual chemical washings kept them rust free - and nickle and meteor iron isn't exactly going to turn to powder even in a wet climate. Those blades which are ritually maintained are quite thin and this is one way to gauge their age.
There are trends in markets for these items and sometimes an adjacent market will take away customners. Islamic weapons have thewir followers and in the last couple years many more decent quality blades from India appeared on the market as well as some Turkish items. Thus a young Islamic emmigrant in America might buy a traditional item in one sphere and abandon a market in another Islamic blade area. Overall time and economic factors affect a weapons market as well. We might expect the very best items to have a market among those to whom money is no issue though they may be wary of exceptional price increases.
If there is a desire to own an interesting gun there are many good new items offered on the double market, particularly as shown in the current Shooting Sportsman.
On the other hand one might take the low road and have a Baikal engraved, which is what I am doing now, and said gun will later have the re-cut straight stock properly refinished by somneone who knows the work. Thus, make your own custom gun from raw material and he happy until a good old original comes into view. There is cheap satisfaction in the short run and denial of gratification will likely pay off in the future for the patient.
