Mystery Dagger ID Help Needed

[Robert]

I purchased this on a "Make Offer" because I found it rather interesting. With its very well made flame blade, no ricasso, hidden tang, and unusual carved wooden hilt this dagger has me completely stumped on where it might originate from. The blade style with no ricasso and hidden tang points to the Philippines, but the hilt carving is unlike anything I have ever seen being used there before. The carving looks to show what could possibly a wheat stalk on one side and a ribbon carved close to the end of the hilt. The ferrule is made of steel with a small round brass guard. Any offers of help with this would be greatly appreciated. My apologies for the poor photo quality.

Overall Length = 11-3/8 inches
Blade Length = 6 inches
Blade at Widest point = 15/16th inches
Blade at thickest point = 3/16th inches
Hilt Length = 5-3/8 inches

Best,
Robert

[Kmaddock]

Hi.
The handle material looks very like Bog oak to me.
This would suggest Scottish/Irish Origin.
I have done some wood carving with this material and it is very distinctive in texture especially when you have it in hand.
Lovely piece overall.
Regards
Ken

[Robert]

Hello Ken and thank you for your interest and reply. The wood is an extremely hard variety and I imagine would not be very easily carved. Do you recognize the carving as being of an Irish or Scottish form? I will add a few more photos showing the carving at the end of the hilt a bit better.

Best,
Robert

[Rich]

Have you noticed that the blade back extends past the guard? To my untrained eye that is not a mark of quality workmanship.
Rich

[Rick]

Repurposed blade?
I seem to remember wavy bladed daggers from small ads in the back pages of Argosy and other similar magazines of the fifties. I think the hilts were spiral with a ball and claw pommel.

[Robert]

Hello Rich,
I agree that the guards fitment is not the best that I have seen either, but the quality workmanship of the blade with its inserted hardened edge I believe more than makes up for it. I have seen and owned many daggers from Southeast Asia both with and without this style of blade that originally were never fitted with a guard of any kind.

Best,
Robert

[Robert]

I seem to remember wavy bladed daggers from small ads in the back pages of Argosy and other similar magazines of the fifties. I think the hilts were spiral with a ball and claw pommel.

Hello Rick,
I not only remember the daggers you are talking about, but somewhere around here I still have one that I paid the grand total of $1.50 for in the late fifties. Most of these were of German manufacture (like the one I still have) but I believe some were of Japanese origin as well. I can with confidence say that the blade of this piece definitely does not come from one of those daggers.

Best,
Robert

P.S. I meant to add that if you look at the first two photos of the complete dagger above you will see one where the blade was just cleaned and one where it has received a vinegar etch. In the lower photos of the blade only you can clearly see the inserted hardened steel edge.