I bought this dagger (?) blade at a flea market in Sofia Bulgaria for $20 US. The only thing the seller knew about it was that “it is old”. It is rusty with pitting but is fairly thick and solid. If it is a true antique, it was a great buy and I’ll hang it on the wall as is. If it is an “instant antique” it was still a good buy. But, in that case I’ll treat it with Naval Jelly followed by an extra fine grit belt sander and re hilt it with wood or bone scales.

What does the hive mind think?

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The shape is vaguely reminiscent of a kindjal, but I'm not certain. I cannot comment on the age.

A light polish to remove rust is needed no matter what the age of it is.

It appears to be a Qama. Google the term and you'll see lots of antiques.

You can pick up a modern version locally: http://www.atlantacutlery.com/p-1059-qama.aspx

Red, flaky rust is usually reckoned to indicate recent fast oxidation (compared to the darker, less flaky patina that develops over decades or centuries. That doesn't mean it isn't an old blade only recently rusted up, but it might point toward "instant antique."

Is there any irregularity to the size and/or direction of the handle pin holes? Any observable puckering on the edges of the holes on one side or the other that might suggest they were punched or pounded through by hand? If the holes are well matched in diameter and alignment, with no lip or distortion around the rim, this could indicate a decent quality drill bit in a drill press was used. Not a for-sure thing but could be a clue.
-Eric

As said before - check the rivet holes. if they don't appear 'punched" through.., check the hole diameters and see if they match up with modern drill bit sizes, either imperial ( fractions of an inch) or metric (millimetres) - if they do, it's a pretty fair guess the blade isn't all that old.