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#1 |
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Centerville, Kansas
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This is a little odd to me. I've seen these WWII era knives with steel blades and wood, horn and aluminum hilts before but this is the first all brass version that I've seen. At a little over 11 inches it seems a little large for a letter opener but I cannot think of anything else that it might be. It could be just another tourist piece but I would think that if it was they would be more common like the others. It only cost me a little over 8 dollars, so no matter what it turns out to be I'm not out much.
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#2 |
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Yeah, it's a tourist or at least market piece.
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#3 |
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Hi Jose,
Yeah, I thought that it was. I'm starting to wonder if maybe this was designed to be a paper weight? I just thought it was kind of interesting. Robert |
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#4 |
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Granted that swords made for professional soldiers and noblemen have traditionally been custom made, nevertheless, the others have always been market pieces, no?
Certainly not designed as a paperweight, because the design is exactly that of daggers of the wwII and immediately post-wwII era that are usually made in steel. May be intended as a letter opener/paper weight, but certainly is not designed as one; is copied directly from steel daggers. It is worth noting that there is a tradition of brass daggers in the region, which are locally believed (and a number of medical personel who post to this forum have testified some validity to such belief) to induce poisoned/nonhealing wounds. |
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#5 |
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Accidental double post. Sorry.
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#6 |
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Tom, Thank you for your thoughts on this knife/daggers potential use. I have other Philippine daggers, some with brass and some with copper blades but as I stated earlier "this is the first all brass version that I've seen". After it arrives and I can see how well or how poorly made the blade is it will be easier to decide if it was just made for show (letter opener/paper weight) or if it could actually be used for the purpose that you described. Again my thanks.
Robert |
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#7 | |
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#8 |
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Here are the others that I have. The two outside daggers have copper blades while the two center ones have brass blades. I would like to add that the dagger on the fare right with the dark blade I had checked and the blade itself is actually coated in arsenic.
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#9 |
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These particular small daggers would be good for up close assassinations, which did happen in the Katipunan era.
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#10 |
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Hello Jose, The two daggers with the copper blades I think would date from the late 19th to early 20th century but the ones with the brass blades I'm not sure of. I think the one on the right could be first quarter 20th century and the other second quarter? If you would, could you possibly tell me what your thoughts as to their age would be? Thank you.
Robert |
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#11 |
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The Knife/dagger arrived yesterday and it is built very sturdy. The weight of this is impressive and helps very much in stabbing. After a thorough cleaning I just had to try it out on a beef roast my wife was getting ready to cook (she needed pockets to place the garlic in anyway).
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#12 |
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Well brass is one of the harder "soft" metals.
As far as age is concerned, I am a little in the dark, but if these are truly Katipunero daggers for concealment, I would then say 1890s. Unfortunately this is speculation on my part. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
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I HAVE A DAGGER ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE FIRST ONE IN THIS POST AND HAVE SEEN A FEW MORE LIKE IT. MINE HAS AN ALUMINUM HANDLE AND STEEL BLADE AND IS SHARP. I HAVE ALWAYS ASSUMED THIS TO BE THE PHILIPPINE VERSION OF THE CHEAP HUNTING KNIVES AND DAGGERS THAT CAME OUT AFTER WW2. MANY HAD ALUMINUM HANDLES SOME SHAPED LIKE A FIST, OTHERS A KNIGHTS HEAD AND A FEW WITH THE FEMALE FIGURE. I ORDERED ONE FROM THE BACK OF A COMIC BOOK WHEN I WAS ABOUT EIGHT IT WAS FROM GERMANY AND HAD A IMITATION STAG HANDLE AND A STAG ETCHED ON THE BLADE. ITS GAURD WAS ALUMINUM AND CURVED AROUND THE HAND FROM THE POMMEL AND GAURD LIKE THE ABOVE PHILIPPINE KNIFE.
PERHAPS THIS FORM EVOLVED FROM A PURELY PHILIPPINE DESIGN THAT HAD BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME OR IS SOMETHING THAT CAME ALONG POST WW2 AND SOLD AS A HUNTING KNIFE? DOES YOUR BRASS EXAMPLE HAVE A PATINA AND SHOW AGE AND WEAR? |
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#14 |
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Hello Vandoo, The original brass knife in this post is defiantly WWII or later and is an exact copy of knives that were made of steel with either wood, horn or aluminum hilts. Like I said earlier unfortunately the knife had been polished up for auction so there is no patina left on it.
Robert |
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#15 | |
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Location: PR, USA
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A friend of mine has one, with an aluminum handle. It's dated, with the year 1945 and Philippines inscribed.
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