diff --git a/doc/fixes35.0 b/doc/fixes35.0
index ea0d55106..9212446bc 100644
--- a/doc/fixes35.0
+++ b/doc/fixes35.0
@@ -95,6 +95,8 @@ try harder to keep pluralization straight when user assigns an already plural
 	value for named fruit
 avoid false matches when looking up fruit names ("grapefruit" isn't "grape")
 handle pluralization of man-at-arms and singularization of men-at-arms
+assigning an artifact name is rejected on objects with similar description to
+	corresponding artifact's type rather than just those of the same type
 
 
 Platform- and/or Interface-Specific Fixes
diff --git a/src/artifact.c b/src/artifact.c
index 41aa90b5c..ee1b660f8 100644
--- a/src/artifact.c
+++ b/src/artifact.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	SCCS Id: @(#)artifact.c 3.5	2005/10/01	*/
+/*	SCCS Id: @(#)artifact.c 3.5	2005/11/11	*/
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -279,17 +279,27 @@ register struct obj *otmp;
 register const char *name;
 {
 	register const struct artifact *a;
-	register const char *aname;
+	const char *aname, *odesc, *other;
+	boolean sametype[NUM_OBJECTS];
+	int i, otyp = otmp->otyp, ocls = objects[otyp].oc_class;
 
 	if (!*name) return FALSE;
 	if (!strncmpi(name, "the ", 4)) name += 4;
 
+	/* find any alternate types which have the same description as otyp */
+	odesc = OBJ_DESCR(objects[otyp]);
+	for (i = 0; i < NUM_OBJECTS; i++)
+	    sametype[i] = (i == otyp ||
+			    (objects[i].oc_class == ocls &&
+			     odesc && (other = OBJ_DESCR(objects[i])) != 0 &&
+			     !strcmp(odesc, other)));
+
 		/* Since almost every artifact is SPFX_RESTR, it doesn't cost
 		   us much to do the string comparison before the spfx check.
 		   Bug fix:  don't name multiple elven daggers "Sting".
 		 */
 	for (a = artilist+1; a->otyp; a++) {
-	    if (a->otyp != otmp->otyp) continue;
+	    if (!sametype[a->otyp]) continue;
 	    aname = a->name;
 	    if (!strncmpi(aname, "the ", 4)) aname += 4;
 	    if (!strcmp(aname, name))