[Sam Ballard]

Yo. I've lurked for a while, but finally have something to contribute.

I've liked the look of yataghans for a while now, but never expected to actually come across one in these parts, Australia not really known for its booming sword market. So when I came across this [antique] beauty I had no choice but to pounce on it, and now it's mine, all mine.

Being pretty new to this game, I don't know if it was a good deal at ~475 of your american dollars. Maybe someone can give me an indication...

I tried to haggle with the dealer, to no avail.

The information provided by the dealer was pretty sparse: Turkish, circa 1840, horn hilt, traces of gilt on the blade. As far as I can tell, it's in very good condition: everything's very solid, no significant rust, just a couple of tiny chips in the edge. 165 years old and it still feels like it could lop somebody's head off (after a bit of sharpening).

77cm long, and 2lbs.

All in all a pretty lucky find for a newbie I think (only the second item in my collection [I don't count the windlass thing I bought when I was young and foolish...])

Anyway, here it is:

[Sam Ballard]

A shot of the blade which gives a better impression of it's width and graceful curviness

[Allan Senefelder]

Hey Sam , this is a beautiful example of this type of sword . $475.00 is a nice price for a quality original of this sort . Ottoman -Turkic is not that readilly avaliable though more so for armour than edged weapons . Very nice score !

[Tom Carr]

I have been looking at Yataghans for a whilt now, and that is a damn good price for one of that qaulity.
Major score! Now if I can just find one for that kind of price.