I found this rummaging through my mom's stuff. Does anyone have an idea about what it is? Or where to start looking. Thanks!
Antique Chinese bronze.
- Thread starter Jscb1b
- Start date
I think it is a head thumper.
Thank God this isn't in the pit.
Have you tried reverse image search with google?
Have you tried reverse image search with google?
You're right, it's a mace.
One quite similar example:
If anyone here has any antique weapons like this one, I highly suggest becoming a member of the Viking Sword forum and cross posting your stuff over there. That forum is literally the epicenter for any weapons that are vintage to archaic, handgonnes to blades, Europe to Micronesia, etc. Those guys really know their stuff, and that's where I cut my teeth learning about firearms from the 1300's and 1400's. Those guys should be able to tell you anything you want to know about anything old that you guys have in your collections.
I wish that Matchlock was still around posting on that forum. Michael personally took the time to help me out with multiple items. He was a great guy and an amazing source of information on early European firearms.
Excellent find!
Here's some links for the OP for Luristan bronze objects and their location. I've seen a ton of Luristan bronze objects pop up for sale in European auctions, the swords are very common.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luristan_bronze
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorestan_province
It appears to be a Luristan bronze mace, very similar (maybe even an exact match) to the one that @Redmanss linked to in his post above. That puts it in the Lorestan province of Iran around 1200 BC to 800 BC.
I wish that more stuff like this was posted on this forum. I really enjoy seeing ancient weapons, and I've posted some of my archaic handgonnes here before. This is quite a bit older than firearms from the 1300's, though.
Ancient middle east version of a shillelagh?
A shillelagh (/ʃɪˈleɪli, -lə/ shil-AY-lee, -lə; Irish: sail éille or saill éalaigh [ˌsˠal̠ʲ ˈeːlʲə], "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.
A shillelagh (/ʃɪˈleɪli, -lə/ shil-AY-lee, -lə; Irish: sail éille or saill éalaigh [ˌsˠal̠ʲ ˈeːlʲə], "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.
Don’t sell in estate sale or it will go for peanuts!!! real antiquities can go for thousands!!!!
If she has amassed some cool old stuff from the days when all the cool old stuff was not fakes and repro’s… single pieces can be a nice new car!
If you don’t know what stuff is… research!
I’ve helped some folks clean out their grandparents homes and found everything from big stashes of cash (common among depression era kids!) to watches and pens that were going to get tossed… but turn out to be worth hundreds or thousands!
Cool mace, BTW!!
Sirhr
If she has amassed some cool old stuff from the days when all the cool old stuff was not fakes and repro’s… single pieces can be a nice new car!
If you don’t know what stuff is… research!
I’ve helped some folks clean out their grandparents homes and found everything from big stashes of cash (common among depression era kids!) to watches and pens that were going to get tossed… but turn out to be worth hundreds or thousands!
Cool mace, BTW!!
Sirhr
I understand! My problem is she is not dead yet, and that is what she wants. The other issues are time, distance and the amount of stuff. I'm in AZ and she is in the D.C. area. FUCK that traffic. She did say to take what ever I want. That just feels wrong, like I'm taking her treasures.
You are inheriting them, not taking them! And can carry on the legacy of her items 'in the family.'
Next time you visit, have a chat with her about the potential value. Have an antiquarian or an expert from one the big auction houses look at things.
Also talk to her about the possibility of donating pieces to museums! Big tax benefits...!!! And her name as a donor lives on with the piece. There are plenty of worthy museums and places where the objects can be studied and appreciated.
Remember that a lot of the things she 'brought home' she has actually saved. Because a lot of items have been destroyed by war, illicit trade, nighthawking, etc. If she brought things 'home' in the 40's, 50's and '60's, she may have brought out some things of great significance... things that are often lost to museums and researchers today!
Again... estate sales are going to get her legacy, essentially, stolen. But anything you help keep in the family... guilt free... is a way of keeping her collections together and in the family.
Just some thoughts... Ultimately its her decision. But by asking you to 'take things' she is really saying that she trusts you to keep them in the family and together!
Cheers,
Sirhr
The treasures she wants to sell at a garage....sorry...estate sale?
So, do I quit my job, move to D.C. and spend how ever long it takes to sell all of her treasures? We are talking basement, first floor, second floor, and attic full of display cases full of treasures.
You go visit mom, she'd love to see you, and cherry pick the really valuable stuff so it doesn't go bye bye for pennies. You really want something worth 5k going for 5 bucks?
