Need advice on antique sword

Factual Questions
1

Notice the sword that chap on the left is wearing.

http://s564.photobucket.com/user/Trygolyte/media/sword_crop.jpg.html

My father brought one exactly like that back from a trip to Russia in 1929 or so. He had been on a construction job (oil refinery) for several years. This was in Batumi, Russia (Georgia, actually) on the coast of the Black Sea. I have had it in my closet ever since he died in 1987.

According to the Internet, the photo was taken sometime between 1900 and 1910, and is a very early example of color photography.

My question is this: The scabbard and handgrip appears to be sterling silver, with very intricate detail incised deeply into the metal. On the sword that I have, the silver is now very tarnished, and I’m wondering whether or not removing the tarnish would basically destroy the value of the sword, like it would if you cleaned a silver coin. And if removing the tarnish will not degrade the value of the sword, what the best way to do this would be.

Also, if anybody knows anything about this sword I’d be very interested in hearing about it. From the photo, it is evidently not a “one-off” sort of thing, but appears to be possibly a standard model. I’m guessing that it might be a ceremonial sword, but that is based on absolutely no knowledge at all.

Thanks for any advice.

2

The dagger is called a kindjal, and it is a common design among the Cossacks, Turks and others in the area. The hilt and scabbard are likely made of niello, a mixture of copper, lead and silver sulphides inlayed over a base metal.

Don’t clean it.

3

These are words constantly spoken to newbie antiquers. It’s not “tarnish,” it’s “patina.” Patina has value.

ETA: Patina often has value far beyond that of the artifact.

4

Regarding the photo in the OP: Why does the guy in the middle look so familiar? Where might I have seen him before?

5

A young Joseph Jughashvili?

6

The dagger or the sword he is clutching in his right hand? As noted the dagger is a kindjal, but if you mean the larger sword it’s almost certainly a shashka.

7

Not a chance, it’s really young Borat before he became famous and grew in the moustache:

http://www.borat.tv

8

The man on the right is Sergey Gorsky, but I have no idea who the other two are.

9

Correct. Here is the Library of Congressinfo on the photo - taken in 1915 along the Murmansk Railroad in northern Russia.

10

Bob Dylan or Zlatan Ibrahimovic.