[Sabine Benning]

Hello all together,

today I show a dagger from a private collecition, which is dated to the mid of 13th century.

I found no similiar one in a collection or a book.

Who has seen a similiar one?

A particularity is the strength of the blade. At the base is the strength 1 centimeter/ 0,39 inch, at the mid still 0,7 centimeters/ 0,28 inches.

kind regards

[Chad Arnow]

It could be similar to some early baselards. See below.

The one you show has a down-curving pommel plate, like the two below and a down-curving guard. But the guard on yours is less wide and doesn't turn up at its ends. Obviously the two posted I posted are double-edged.

There are other single-edged daggers with fairly heavy blades from that era, though, like the one you posted.

[Sabine Benning]

Hi Chad,

thanks a lot.

Well, I think the daggers you have posted are clearly so-called swiss-daggers. There are much early daggers of them, see http://www.hermann-historica.com/, Auction 56, Lot 538. And some examples in the book by Hugo Schneider "Waffen im Schweizerischen Landesmuseum. Griffwaffen I"

In german terminology we say only "Schweizer Dolch", which is translated "Swiss Dagger". But that does not really any matter.

There a lot of daggers, which in my opinion are mixed types- may be before a clear type "made it's way"?

Here ist another one.

And see two Basilards, one of them also with heavy blade. One of my favorites! I guess, addicted to the contemporary clients, heavy blades were wanted throughout all times.

Do you know other daggers or knives vom 13th Century, ortearlier? Be it single edged or double edged?

kind regards

[Elling Polden]

Single edged daggers where very common in the middle ages.
For instance, out of some 28 daggers found in western Norway, only two where double edged(!)
Daggers generally have strong spines, both to make sure that they dont bend and/or break when thrusting, and posibly to add weigth to make them more usefull as chopping tools.