unkown dagger! -- myArmoury.com

Sabine Benning · Posted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 7:36 am Post subject: unkown dagger!

Help requested!

What is this for a knife? Time and nature are unknown to me. Has someone an idea?

Unfortunately missing the pommel.

Thank you and many greetings to all interested!

---------------------------------
Sorry for bad english!

Sabine Benning · Posted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 7:40 am Post subject: Re: unkown dagger!

Etienne Hamel · Posted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 9:00 am Post subject:

It looks like a small seax but for the period im not enough documented...

Hadrian Coffin · Industry Professional

Hello,
It looks like a small broken-back seax from c. 800-1100. You said it is missing its pommel, though I doubt it ever had one. From the picture it appears to be a wittle tang knife which means the grip of wood/antler/bone was glued directly onto the tang. The "guard" though unusual is not unheard of (see picture below).
The difficulty in dating a knife like this is that this shape appears frequently throughout history, I have seen Roman knives in this shape to modern American Bowie knives, so without seeing the piece in person take what I have said as an educated guess.
Do you have any measurements (width, length, thickness at spine, etc.) as these would help, also a few more pictures from a few other angles.
Best,
Hadrian

Sabine Benning · Posted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 10:33 am Post subject:

Hello Etienne and Hadrian,

thank you for postings.

Total length is 22 cm (8,661 inch), length of blade is 12 cm (4,7 inch). Hope the inches are correct determined.

First I also thought it could be small seax. But is there a similar small seax with that form of blade-catcher? I am not sure.

The second idea I have: it is a modern knive, 20.th century.

Or may be a an older one, a special kind of knive for peasants…

greetings

R D Moore · Posted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 11:09 am Post subject:

With a blade length of 4.7 inches, and if the shape of the point has remained true to form, it could be a pen knife similar to those found in "Knives and Scabbards"

Sabine Benning · Posted: Sun 08 Mar, 2009 12:06 pm Post subject:

Hello R.D.

thank you for answer. I do not know that book. Time to chance Happy

! Becauce im really interested in medieval daggers and knives.

Can you explain what a pen knive is?

greetings

Leo Todeschini · Industry Professional

Pen knives are for sharpening quills (feathers) for writing with, but I would say that is far too big for a penknife. I would say seax, but the guard is unusual for that, but judging by condition it is at miniumum a couple of hindred years old.

Tod

Robin Palmer · Posted: Mon 09 Mar, 2009 4:00 am Post subject:

Hi sabine.
I agree it is a sax but would point out that the sax style was made for a lot longer than most people think there is a sax style blade in the museum of London dating to the mid to late 1400s. The original bowie design was sax in fact the bowie is simply a modification of the sax design the style is still used in Iceland as a fisher mans knife. I suspect your blade could be middle ages onwards the guard makes it unlikely to be viking Saxon..

yours Bob palmer.

Bjorn Hagstrom · Posted: Mon 09 Mar, 2009 4:45 am Post subject:

As always, more information can help is narrow the scope. For example: Where was it found, and under what circumstances? Does it have a context? Northern Europe, Central Europe or something else?

To me, unless it has a good reason for being medieaval or earlier (such as being found at an archaeological site, or acquired from a collection) it is most likely not. My best guess would be an "early modern" utility knife say 19th/early 20th century.