Mexican (?) Dagger for Identification?

tom hyle · 15th March 2005, 11:36 AM

Oh, this is no decorator style; these are Mediterranean dirks; traditional dagger-knives found around the Mediterranean, from kodme to kard to Corsican stilettoe (not double-edged like the familiar Itallian one). Very very similar styles are still made and sold in Spain and Itally, as well as in a variety of former colonies, including, for instance, the Canary Islands and at least parts of S America (ex gaucho knives/daggers). The blades vary from thin wedge-section working knives to sabre-ground dagger blades with fullers and/or double-edged points of a type most familiar to modern people as bayonets, though in fact a traditional European dagger style from medieval times. I just saw some nice Itallian ones on a PBS travel show where they visitted a town known for cutlers. The lagnet/bolster may be a regional distinquisher; I've seen it on corvos, but also on Med. dirk styles like these, which may or may not be Chilean. The round handle is fairly typical of the Spanish/Itallian ones, as is the stacking. The globe pommel is one of two type ends, the other being simply tapered down to a pommel nut, though even so that is often a tiny globe.

15th March 2005, 11:36 AM	#9
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Oh, this is no decorator style; these are Mediterranean dirks; traditional dagger-knives found around the Mediterranean, from kodme to kard to Corsican stilettoe (not double-edged like the familiar Itallian one). Very very similar styles are still made and sold in Spain and Itally, as well as in a variety of former colonies, including, for instance, the Canary Islands and at least parts of S America (ex gaucho knives/daggers). The blades vary from thin wedge-section working knives to sabre-ground dagger blades with fullers and/or double-edged points of a type most familiar to modern people as bayonets, though in fact a traditional European dagger style from medieval times. I just saw some nice Itallian ones on a PBS travel show where they visitted a town known for cutlers. The lagnet/bolster may be a regional distinquisher; I've seen it on corvos, but also on Med. dirk styles like these, which may or may not be Chilean. The round handle is fairly typical of the Spanish/Itallian ones, as is the stacking. The globe pommel is one of two type ends, the other being simply tapered down to a pommel nut, though even so that is often a tiny globe.