Another curiosity

[Marcus]

Found in a gun store. Maybe from South America. Only the inside (concave) edge is sharp

[spiral]

Cool... Chilean corvo probably...

Spiral

[Marcus]

Thanks. I guess military ones are double edged but there are also references to single edged ones supposedly for animal butchering. I thought there was some resemblance to a skinner.

[spiral]

Many are single edged, I expect at one time they all were, I think they were originaly a utility knife for farm labourers & miners of Chile, also carried & used as a weapon, but because of that, also a sign of masculinity etc. same as the jambya in the yemen, but because they were so famous for the horrific disembowelling injury's inflicted in the mostly drunken fighting that was common they became adopted by the army as the weapon of choice, {Who I guess recruited from the mine & farm labouring classes.}

spiral

[Marcus]

Would you hazard a guess on how old this one is? I was going with something like 1930.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Would you hazard a guess on how old this one is? I was going with something like 1930.

Hello Marcus:

I believe the presence of a guard on these daggers signifies post WWII manufacture. The guard and stacked hilt have been seen on pieces made for the tourist trade in the second half of the 20th C, sometimes with a nationalistic slogan ("Viva Chile", etc.) inscribed into the blade.

The origin of "corvo" in relation to these blades has been the subject of some discussion. One explanation is that corvo is from the Spanish word for curved or hooked, which describes the shape of the blade.

The alternative view is that it comes from Latin in which corvo means a raven. Apparently there is an ancient Roman reference to corvo in relation to weapons. In this case, the resemblance of the blade of a corvo to the curve of a raven's beak may have some credence.

However, given that the corvo knife comes from a Spanish speaking country, I prefer the simpler explanation that it is a Spanish word describing the shape of the blade.

It is also possible that the Spanish word, corvo, is based originally on the same Latin word for raven, but we need a linguist to adjudicate on that.

There are a few old posts on corvo on this web site and you will find some similar examples to yours.

Ian.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Would you hazard a guess on how old this one is? I was going with something like 1930.

Sorry Marcus, I don't know enough about them to reliably date that piece, multi stacked layered handles were common 140 years ago, but Id guess or suspect yours would be middle third 20th century piece., given the inclusion of red plastic? in the handle layers.. Good that the blade has the raised projection though, not just flat sheet steel.

For your & Ians interest, & for the forum in general, here's an excellent & quite in depth article on them & there extensive history. {Hit the translate button unless you speak Spanish.}

I thought it made excellent reading. It translates very well.

spiral

linky to corvo history..

[Marcus]

Some parts better than others. I'll still chuckling at this part:
Although the similarities are obvious and might lend to think of some Peruvian Inca influence and even the origin of the Chilean corvo, your resume is a little crooked and mango noticeably wide and tapered.

[Ian]

Thanks Spiral. An interesting article indeed! I think the pictures are excellent and show the varied forms of this knife very well.

Forms of the stacked hilt on corvos have clearly been around since at least the Pacific War (1879–1883) between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. Also, there are some older examples with small guards. In my comment above, it is the brass S-shaped guard that I think is a relatively recent feature--this is larger than the forms seen on some of the earlier examples. The inclusion of modern materials in the stacked hilt is clearly another guide to date of manufacture.

This article indicates that the military versions of the corvo are now out of production, which I did not know. I guess I better hang on to the ones I have.

Ian.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by Ian

Thanks Spiral. An interesting article indeed! I think the pictures are excellent and show the varied forms of this knife very well.

Thank you Ian, yes its a good one I thought!

Originally Posted by Marcus

Some parts better than others. I'll still chuckling at this part:
Although the similarities are obvious and might lend to think of some Peruvian Inca influence and even the origin of the Chilean corvo, your resume is a little crooked and mango noticeably wide and tapered.

Well at least you found it amusing Marcus.

And I learnt something.

Have you ever heard the old Chilean proverb "No one has done good who has not suffered disillusionment." .....

spiral

[blue lander]

I think I read somewhere that they stopped making military corvos in Chile a few years ago, and that current military issue ones were being made in China. I can't find any source online for modern corvos, at least not affordable ones.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by blue lander

I think I read somewhere that they stopped making military corvos in Chile a few years ago, and that current military issue ones were being made in China. I can't find any source online for modern corvos, at least not affordable ones.

Thanks for sharing but I think the academic phrase... "citation needed"

Applies here.

Spiral

[Ian]

Originally Posted by blue lander

I think I read somewhere that they stopped making military corvos in Chile a few years ago, and that current military issue ones were being made in China. I can't find any source online for modern corvos, at least not affordable ones.

Hi blue:

You can find an occasional site with these knives but they are not the ones made by FAMAE. The fittings on the ones I have seen for sale are rather poor. I don't know where they are made now. There was an attempt to find a new company to provide them but I believe several tentative deals with China and Spain fell through, and I don't know if anyone is making the military versions now.

Incidentally, FAMAE (the Chilean Government arms maker) only made the two forms of military corvo from 1974-2000--there was an officer/commando grade corvo with a pronounced hook, and an NCO grade one with a lesser curve. Both were made in a polished metal or black matte finish. The FAMAE-made ones come up at auction from time to time, but less so lately than they used to. I picked up a couple in the early 2000s off eBay.

Ian.

[blue lander]

I have no idea where I read about manufacture being moved to China so who knows if it's true or not. I know Khukri House makes a corvo but obviously not for military use.

[spiral]

Thanks,

Although others would disagree, I think its always good to know if something's definably a fact or not.

Spiral

[Marcus]

The discussion inspired me to search out a military example. I am assuming it is relatively modern. The sheath is plastic. Comments please.

[Ian]

Hi Marcus:

The example you show is the Atacameño version of the FAMAE-produced series. This is the NCO model of the corvo.

Similar knives have been produced by the Spanish firm SAMI, and you can find these readily online by searching for "SAMI corvo"--they come with an 8-inch blade made from 440C stainless steel. The more markedly hooked version is also available.

There seem to be some quality control issues with these SAMI knives and I would pay particular attention to how the guard and hilt fit on the Spanish versions compared with the Chilean FAMAE products.

Ian.