greek cretan knife for info

[francantolin]

Hello dear members,

a good friend of mine got this cool small knife for a low price,
it was sold as a letter opener : small size: 26cm /10,25 inches long

for me it's more a small cretan knife than just a souvenir letter opener
( blade is not that bad, and seems old )

Maybe it's just written ''greetings from Greece '', ''Creta '' on the blade ?
( can anybody translate please )

if it's just a souvenir , the silver chased scabbard is really well made,
I don't think it costs two pence.

There is no date or stamp on the scabbard ,
the coins are old, pre 1900,
but we can insert old coins on recent stuff...
so it's difficult to age it and we find every kind of age and quality with this kind of items ...

What do you think ?

Kind regards

[francantolin]

The knife...

[Ian]

I like these little knives. As you say, they are souvenirs. I've got a couple and they seem to date from the mid-20th C. The white metal on the sheath is probably white bronze or German silver, while the hilts are often bone or horn. Sorry, I can't help with the translation of the modern Greek inscription.

[francantolin]

Hello Ian,
Thank you !
Yes I think the hilt is made of bone, no ivory.

I Hope anybody will help for translation.

Here two picture of the dated coins, three are readable:
1874,1888,1889
greek coins ?

[Yvain]

If I'm not mistaken, the inscription reads "Crete Chania", which is the second largest city of Crete.

[Battara]

Originally Posted by Yvain

If I'm not mistaken, the inscription reads "Crete Chania", which is the second largest city of Crete.

On the money. This is exactly what it says. I didn't know it was a city in Crete. Merci!

(BTW - I can still read a little ancient Biblical Greek......)

[Kubur]

Hi my friend

it's more a small cretan knife

yes


the silver chased scabbard is really well made,

yes, for the medium part and no, the top and the tip are not good.


the coins are old, pre 1900,

They look like coins but I think they are commemorative dates


Bone and 4 pins for the grip, I think it's mid 20th c. maybe later

We have many Greek members on this forum, they will tell you more.

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Hi my friend

,

They look like coins but I think they are commemorative dates


:

I think they are coins and the dates indicate when they were minted. Note the denomination "20 Lepta". The crown is probably that of the Greek monarchy.

[francantolin]

Hello,
Thank you all for your comments !!

So I mix all comments for conclude as a nice quality not too recent souvenir cretan knife...

Yvain, you nailed it with the translation,

I found the translation written both in latin and greek alphabet looking for Chania on google maps

Chania in Crete is the main city for local craftsman-knifesmakers
still working today ...


Kind regards

[francantolin]

I just found this,
1900 20 lepta coins maybe/sure for make these knives and daggers

Didn't cost nothing... but there is absolutely all , + and - on ebay...

[Duccio]

This is a photo of the interior of one of the many cutlery shops in Chania, Crete. On the shelf, on the left, you can see numerous modern Cretan knives, sold as souvenirs: some are very bad (plastic handles ...,) others very well made, with better materials.The coins that always accompany these knives are mostly reproductions , but it cannot be excluded that there are also originals. On the top right of the shelf, note a series of WWII helmets (Italian and German, I would say), as well as swords, sabers and bayonets. The Cretans are still very proud of their tenacious resistance against the Axis troops, a resistance in which Cretan knives play a not secondary role ....