Origin of a knife / dagger?
 

I ran accross this piece listed as an African dagger and find it somewhat interesting:
Edited : (active auction)
I've discussed it with the seller and she's every bit as curious about as I am and gave her full consent to see if anything further could be ascertained about it......my thoughts are that it has a Spanish feel to it, but as this isn't my area of expertise, I may well be wrong.
Since open auctions are a sensitive area, my bid is locked in and more than satifactory to her, and if I get outbid, I can live with it, no hard feelings (I thought I'd toss that in and save agonizing about ethics in advance)
Mike

I'm sorry Mike , we've got a no active auction policy . :(

Sorry....I misunderstood the restrictions, apparently. **blush**
Mike

No problem , it's open for discussion after it closes .. or you could borrow a picture or two from 'em . ;) :D

Thanks Rich!!!!
Duh!!!!
I thought I had covered all the bases in regards to liability and such, including getting permission to use the photos, but since I've been back I've not seen JUST the photos listed...lesson learned, and again, thank you...it truly wasn't my intention to break rules.
The knife PICTURED **grin** is about 12" long with a brass and dark hardwood hilt, and a double edged very pointed blade.
It's now in the hands of the third generation, with the grandfather having said that it came from Africa.
With words like "creepy" involved, I'm certain that there's a certain amount of predjudice against it with more than a percieved air of bloodletting involved by the fairer sex.
Mike

Not a problem Mike , really ! :)

I think the piece looks Philippine .
The peened tang and washer is a Philippine touch .
The pommel is unusual though .
Almost looks like a recycled spear blade . :confused:

If it is PI, it has a strong Spanish flair. It could also be Mediterranean coast of Spain.

I don't recall seeing to mqny dagger style pieces out of the Philippines that had heavily hand cast bronze hilts, at least the northern islands, and it seems uncharacteristic for the southern.
I do see your point about the peened over tang though and it's hard to tell juust from the photo.
It was one of those that I passed up, came back too, passed up....you know how it goes. **grin**
Thanks for the thoughts though, and I'm still curious, which is somewhat nice as it keeps you digging and digging rather than just tossing it aside and forgetting it....it does me, anyways.
Mike

If this piece is Philippine, I would guess that it would have to be an Illustrado/Katipunan knife. The quality, and European flare are very common in this era with these people, and most of them had the money to blow on such pieces. Though the casting makes me wonder about a PI origin. Stuff during the Katipunan era would have brazed bands. Like Battara, I would not be surprised with a Spanish or other Meditteranean origin.