Hi All,

I have just finished this dagger that I have been working on for a while.

It was based on a few examples where the pommels seem very similar, so it was obviously a recognisable style at the time, but one that very few examples have come down to us.

The most notable thing is obviously the length of the blade at 58cm (23.5") it is almost a short sword and the breadth of the blade also makes this a very sword like dagger; almost a mini hand and a half. The blade is spring steel and is 30mm wide by 8mm thick at the guard. The guard is steel and the pommel is bronze. The grip is box wood with a leather cover and the scabbard is poplar with bronze fittings.

I have included a couple of the inspiration pieces for this to show I did not just make it up! The circle with rays is on a couple of pommels and the star with dots is on another.

I hope you like it.

Tod

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That is a very beautiful piece. It is good to see out of the ordinary things and things that shake up our usual 32 in blade-40 in overall world. That looks like a piece that was created out of necessity. I like the pommel. Can you give us a picture of the finial on the scabbard chape? It also looks elegant.

Nice one.

Looks very neat and I'm a big fan of over-sized daggers. Don't know that there was any practicality to them, but I like them anyway. :D :cool:

Honestly, at 58 cm I would consider this a short sword. I have a very hard time thinking about a blade longer then my own arm as a "dagger."

That is absolutely beautiful great work i've always loved that dagger design. Its nice to finally see a reproduction.

This piece is super cool. Great job as always Tod! I think I like the guard best. It is proportioned so nicely to the blade.

Excellent work as always Leo, you never fail to impress me with your work!

I am always looking forward to seeing your work and hope you get many more happy commissions.

Best regards,

Bryce Felperin

Thanks guys.

Although it is a monster length, it really is like a scaled down sword; none of the elements of scale or mass make this a full size sword, even a short one. A Katzbalger may be about the same length as this, or a touch longer, but it is definitely a sword, it has the presence and heft of one.

This dagger is a curiosity in that it does not have the presence of a sword and yet is not really nimble enough to be a common dagger. It is not a sword, any that handle it would concurr that, Oakshott calls it a dagger and the hilt is dagger like, so I will settle on that.

There is always somebody who wants one bigger, faster, quicker, taller than the next man and I guess the man who originally comissioned this was that man.

I can live with the description of it being a very very long dagger.

Either way it has been another interesting piece to make.

Tod

Another lovely piece Tod!

Really like your grip treatment and the brass pommel. Top notch.

Cheers,

J

Wonderful work, Tod, I really love it.
I am with Jean Thibodeau in that I guess it was ment to be a self defence weapon. Swords were, I think, forbidden to carry in some buildings or towns, so this could be some sort of alternative, maybe.
But what I love most about the dagger is the uncommon pommel with its sun and star decoration.

Regards,

Mark

Hello Everybody,

The long dagger has arrived a few weeks ago and I took time to take some measurements and pictures. I am really pleased with the piece, and except for the length of the blade, the most interesting thing is the pommel, which is very close to the original pommel housed somewhere in the attic of the Historisches Museum in Berlin.
I still could not decide if it is more a dagger or a short sword. The blade is thrusting orientated, no doubt, as a dagger blade should be, and quite thick, so cutting is not the best option. It feels a little like a very short small sword.
Some old scientific article (Zeitschrift für historische Waffen- und Kostümkunde) argues that the star symbol on the pommel may have had a highly symbolic character, maybe a membership of a knightly circle (Knights of the Star, around 1367 to 1375). So, hopefully, the original daggers were no mere weapons, but had a high artistic and decorative value. Tod, no doubt, has created a very decorative piece of art.

Mark


Measurements:

Overall length: 73 cm
Blade length: 58 cm
Blade width: 3,4 cm
Grip lenght: 7,5 cm
Pommel: 5,5 cm x 4 cm
Weight: about 0,580 kg
PoB: 10 cm from guard

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Original dagger, supposed to be in the Historisches Museum Bremerhaven, Germany, dated to the 14th century.

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Full length

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Pommel

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Pommel

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Dagger grip and scabbard

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Comparison with Albion Ringeck

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Comparison with rondel dagger

Absolutely beautiful work, excellent details. I like that you reproduced a unique historical form for this piece. Well done!