Hi everybody,

Recently, a family member bought an Indonesian kris at a flea market. At first we thought it was a tourist knock off, but upon closer inspection the blade seemed to be pattern welded, which made me wonder about its historical value. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a maker's mark, and since I'm not knowledgeable about Indonesian weapons, I was wondering whether any of you could comment on the uniqueness and potential value of the blade?

Regards,
Patrick
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A few more photos would go a long way in determining age and origin, but it does appear to be fairly old. I hope they didn't pay a small fortune for it though.......... :) ...........McM

Yes, it's a real keris. (There are tourist specials with fancy carved scabbards and hilts, but with a blade made of sheet metal with a painted-on pattern.) Can't say anything definite about quality from your photos, but I don't see any reason to think it's high-quality or anything special.

They're fairly common, so if it's just an ordinary keris (as opposed to a particularly well-made keris, a keris with high-quality fittings (hilt, the mendak (the ornament at the end of the hilt), scabbard), or a keris with a known and special history), it isn't worth very much. It isn't hard to find one online for under US$100, and there are plenty of reasonably nice ones for under US$200. (It also isn't hard to find a hilt - no blade, just the hilt - for many $100s; there's a lot of variation in price.)

Looks good, a bit odd though that it doesn't have a curl at the base of the blade, but not at all unheard of.

Yep. Looks like a genuine keris. Don't expect any maker's mark since Indonesian smiths rarely use or have any. The curl on the base of the blade is far from a universal feature either so its absence isn't a strike against the authenticity of this thing.

Thank you all very much for your comments. They have already been very informative. It took a while, but as advised I have uploaded some more pictures to help determine how much this particular specimen is potentially worth.

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