Afar Dagger For comment
 

Just picked this up. Seems to be a decent example but not that old.


Lew

Thats a beauty Lew.
What date do you think? Immediately post war?
It looks older in the pics, its a good find for sure!

I would think 1940-60 it could be more recent it's hard to tell from the photo? The blade looks stout and well forged.

Lew

The dagger showed up in todays mail and it's a beauty. The blade is 14.5 inches long. As far as age 1940-50s seems very well made to me.

Lew

Looks like a nice piece. :) Would it be fair to say that the blade is thicker/stronger than the usual African blades? If so, is that a characteristic of the Afar?

Thanks,
Steve

Lew, you picked another beaut!!!...but I am inclined to think it is a little later than you estimate.

No matter, it is a very nice one and reeks with ethnographic appeal.

Congrats!

Charles

It really is hard to date these due to the wear and tear but very well be 1970s but for some reason it seems older than the others I have seen and of much better quality. It has that old smokey smell to it like some of my older pieces. I guess if you carry anything around the desert's of Ethiopia for a short while it will age it very fast ;)

Lew

Steve

I think this knife and others like it with the heavier blades are forged from leaf springs where as some others I have seen were forged from machete blades so it's really a crap shoot thick or thin. ;)


Lew

Could we get a close up of the front scabbard decoration?

Said what I did about the age because the pommel cup looks machined, but I may be wrong??

The later ones, including those coming out today, have machined pommel cups.

Yours have obviously seen use, and looks to have a nice patina to the hilt.

Nice one Lew,
love the forged detailing of the blade, I have seen examples that were, apparently made in the '20's -'30's none had the quality of blade that yours seems to have. I have 'shyed' away from these as many have thin blades. Congrats

Regards David

It always amazes me the diversity of the native re-use of steel for forging blades.
how about the Dyak (and others) knicking the rail pins right out the sleepers!

Back to the Knife.
Lovely one Lew, even nicer than it looked in the first pics.

Charles

I will post some more pics tonight. I found this on You-Tube you might find it to your liking.:)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blLvokatuq4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma5G1...eature=related




Lew

Charles

Here are a few more pics. The finale looks cast and not machine made?

Lew

Hey Lew,

This is quite different from what I had imagined and was referring to...the new ones are hollow and machined.

This one is likely quite a bit older then I had imagined.

Even cooler!

...and I really like the scabbard decor...and the videos!! Thanks!

Hi Lew, very nice gilè with a wonderful scabbard!!! Congratulations, even if a bit late :p :) :D