"Middle Eastern" and Such Flinters etc.

[Red John]

Is anyone seeing many of the "Middle Eastern" and similar flinters around? I mean somewhere besides hanging on a wall where they should be?

There are a number of authentic antiques, and I'm not really talking about those. What I'm seeing is more and more of the 'new antiques' for sale from folks that are thinking they are legitimate antiques and not the "Afghan bring-backs" that they are - and sad thing is they are looking for real money for them, too, which leads me to believe maybe they actually paid real money for them. Granted, some are offered as "estate finds" but are still being represented as authentic antiques, which nearly all I've seen are not - they are typical Afghan and SW Asia cottage industry made copies of antiques.

Interesting pieces all, but terrible fit and finish as far as being a functional firearm, even with the impressive inlays and acid-etched metalwork. More often than not the barrels are soft iron or worse yet "antiqued" electrical conduit. Also interesting is that a lot of them seem to have a few or more original parts mixed in - mostly from the periods of British 'incursion' into the areas during the 1800's.

My concern is that I hope folks are on the lookout and that if any innocent sort actually tries or thinks they can shoot one of these that someone more experienced interevenes for the sake of everyone there! As to folks paying too much, well, I guess it beats going there yourself, but I hate to see anyone thinking they have Ali Baba's own blunderbuss or Barbarossa's personal jezail when it's just another Khyber Kopy. I can totally appreciate and enjoy hanging a nice piece of artistry off a baldric or stuck in a belt or over a shoulder for visual appeal as part of a pirate persona, but I do hope no one out there is trying to actually fire any of these that haven't had a thorough reworking by a competent gunsmith.

yours, aye-

[Dutchman]

this came up a couple years back as I remember. There is also a large pile coming in from Turkey. They look good at fifty feet then quickly become obvious modern "relics". The problem is that there used to be a nice supply of real pieces with copper scrolls, pearl inlays, etc... now its hard for newly interested folks to not be had. I'm afraid I know where a house full of these "antiques" are up for sale. I'll see if I can't talk nice to get some pictures as examples.