Dirk?
 

Hello:

I just picked this up. Blade is 13.25 inches, overall 20 inches, nice wire grip and fleur de lis pommel. Overall weight is 1.43 pounds. Unfortunately, some prior owner heavily polished the blade, but some etching still remains.

I also tried to take a close up picture of the brass.

another image

Etching ?
Hard to belive there was any etching from begining
But thats a guess do not know this dagger type , but someone might now ?

Regards
Pär

The blade seems to be nickel plated or chromed and what you think to be etching is corrosion which comes through.

here is another picture of the wire grip at the collar. The wire is tucked under the collar.

the blade is just highly polished. There is no flaking on the blade.

If the blade is not nickel-plated or chrome-plated, it is made of high-alloy steel—i.e., "stainless"—and this is corrosion breaking through. It is definitely not a trace of former etching.

Regards,
Detlef

here is a very close up of the blade. I disagree that it is stainless steel.

I also applied vinegar to a small portion of the blade. It created a darken spot. This type of reaction does not occur with stainless steel

Equally from which steel the blade is worked, these spots on the blade I know from high alloy steel or when a blade is nickel plated, it's clearly some sort of corrosion and not from a former etching, I am pretty sure about this. The blade will be from a similar material than the blade from this dagger in my own collection. And the high polish will be the original one.

I agree that these marks are likely corrosion and not etching. However, the blade is carbon steel which has been highly polished and not stainless steel or chromed/plated. The acid vinegar test definitely proves this statement regarding carbon steel.

here is a close up of the brass block portion of the cross guard