This ornate weapon, forged in the early 17th century for Mughal emperor Jahangir, was sold for an estimated $250,000 to Qatar's royal family in 2013. It's not just another fancy steak knife: Its peripatetic history links it to the Taj Mahal, the man behind Morse code and a well-known arms dealer in Pittsburgh. And at age 390 or so, it still looks pretty sharp
(This story appears in the 23 January, 2015 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)