Has anyone seen this dagger in person, or know anything about its measurements? Overall length, blade length or width or thickness would be grand. General impressions from anyone who has seen it are welcome too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98015679@N04/9301518907/in/album-72157634672001156/lightbox/

Many thanks to Carl Koppeschaar for all the lovely photos.

I actually saw this dagger which is displayed in the Reichstadmuseum in Rothenburg ob der Tauber last saturday but between the bright sunlight and me being a less skilled photographer than Mr. Koppeschaar I only got one decent photo of that dagger


Like many of the other "Battle daggers" on display it is a quite substancial piece and positivly huge compared to the daggers and knives made for everyday wear with civilian clothing. Several of these daggers were the size of the "short swords" loved by fantasy fiction & games and 50-60cm in lenght (and in some cases longer). As my focus was the 16th & 17th weaponry on display I didn't pay a lot of attention to this particular dagger but my rought estimate is that it was at least 50 cm longand when I saw it it reminded me of the lager dagger that was part of the Castilion find and which I know that Tod of Tod's Stuff has recreated.

Unfortunately going Rothenburg ob der Tauber was a spur of the moment decision and I wasn't aware of the excellent arms collection on display so I left without the measuring tape I usually carry only to museums to at least get an idea of the size of items so rough impressions of the size is all I can provide.

Unfortunately, I have no info on the dagger. However, I was wondering if you had seen Scott Roush's FB postings over the last couple of days on his "Castillon Dagger" - a piece seemingly of similar proportions to the one in your post and using a similar cross, although it lacks the fuller and has a wheel pommel rather than what appears to be a Type U on your example. Maybe his methods and research can give you some insights on the Rothenburg piece. Good luck!

https://www.facebook.com/BigRockForge/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1140730222635064

As Peter Johnsson has posted elsewhere in this forum, a substantial number of the swords and weapons in the Rothenburg ob der Tauber museum are 19th century forgeries. Therefore, the swords there need to be regarded with suspicion, as many are not genuine historic artifacts. I am not sure about the daggers, but I would be similarly cautious, especially if I was interested in making an accurate reproduction of a real dagger.

Regarding the original dagger posted, the pommel is a bit unusual. This is insufficient grounds to condemn it, and it could very well be a genuine medieval dagger. Nevertheless, I would be leery in assuming it was without having further information.

Craig--I was unaware of the issue with forgeries. I have always been struck by how unusual or unique a number of their swords looked, but I would not have pegged them as forgeries. My intent is to make a dagger inspired by the one pictures and scale it to my desired size, more as an exercise of form and line work than a strict recreation.

That said, I would also like to know if it is a forgery or the genuine article...