I was handling a few of a friend's replica daggers this weekend.On the average they are very pommel heavy to where the balance is at the guard or just under where the handle meets the guard.This seems to make it awkward when hanging from a belt.I have never handled an actual antique dagger /poignard/etc.and am curious if this was also the norm.Or were more pommels hollow as compared to the modern replicas.

Mass distribution can vary greatly in daggers. For one thing, mass distribution is much less critical with a short blade than with a sword. Most ballock daggers have very light organic hilts, which when combined with a thick, stiff blade can give them a quite blade-heavy balance. People who are unfamiliar with ballock daggers, when they handle one of mine, will often complain that the balance is "wrong" or "poor." Rondel daggers are generally constructed so as to make the metal hilt fittings as light as possible, ie hollow or thin sheets sandwiching organic layers. "quillon" or sword-hilted daggers can sometimes have heavier hilt fittings, and I would not consider a center of mass at the cross or in the grip to be unusual or awkward. On the other hand, hollow pommels were not uncommon either and may even be considered the norm. As to your question about suspension, try the search funtion, I know that there is a thread about dagger suspension. Methods of dagger suspension that seem counter-intuiitive or awkward to modern users were quite normal in period.
Edit: the thread is called "wearing daggers"

Thanks for the thread...it is very informative.

As a general rule, most medieval daggers have light-weight sheaths, often of 2 layers of leather, sometimes with no chape, sometimes with a chape of light sheet metal.

Just to be more specific .It is the sword hilted daggers that seemed the most pommel heavy.Though some of the pommels seemed a bit thick so that may be the fault in some of the modern replicas.

Phil D wrote

Quote:

Just to be more specific .It is the sword hilted daggers that seemed the most pommel heavy.Though some of the pommels seemed a bit thick so that may be the fault in some of the modern replicas.

Generally quillon daggers do not suffer from this too much and it is rondels that it is most likely to happen with. You see upside down or tipped up daggers in art quite frequently so it was obviously a problem then too. Heavier chapes do help.

Tod