19th C. stiletto?

[shayde78]

Another item seeking the insights of you fine folks

I've searched the forums for threads on stilettos, and the few examples were much more ornate than this plain example. Of course the seller of this item had limited information other than it was his grandfather's, and that it was older than the seller himself (40 years old). The blade seems too plain and modern to be period correct, but the hilt components might have some age to them.

The blade has a hexagon cross-section, the pommel is peened, the guard is not cast, but seems to have been turned.

So, is this someone's Renaissance Fair prop, or something more?
As always, thank you for your insights. (Please let me know at what point I have to start paying tuition!)

[fernando]

Hello shayde,

I wonder why knowledged members haven't yet posted a word on this.
If i knew a little about theses things, i would say it is 'too new' to be true, but ... .

[Kmaddock]

Hi Shayde,

I am no expert but if the handle was of some age I would expect it to have discoloured somewhat where it is butted up against the metal of the cross guard and the pommel, not sure what happens here but I generally notice discolouration where some of the components of the metal leach into the handle, be it horn or timber
Also as the peening of the tang does not seem more recent than the rest of the knife I would think all component parts are of the same age, i.e. Relatively modern

I like your comment on "when will I pay for tuition" though
I try and give constructive comments as often as I can without trying to build up my post count. I find the forum v helpful without being dismissive of newbies questions or comments. So I guess pay for tuition by sharing opinions or observations
Keep well
Ken

[corrado26]

I post some fotos of my stiletto collection, so you might be able to decide wehther your piece is an original one or not. I think it is not.
corrado26

[fernando]

Excelent pieces, corrado .

[Bob A]

If it does have some age, it would appear to have experienced little if any actual use or handling. Still, not an unattractive weapon, though possibly somewhat uncomfortable to use; the deep spiral would not seem to be particularly ergonomic, nor easy to keep in hand once it became slick with bodily fluids.

I may be wrong about my comments regarding the ergonomics. Shayde would be the one to speak to that issue.

[Roland_M]

Hello,

first I would say, this is no stiletto, it's a dagger. The blade is too broad for a stiletto in my opinion.

From the style it is a venetian dagger.

The whole piece seems to be a well made 19.ct. historism reproduction of a venetian dagger.


Roland

[shayde78]

Hello everyone,

I was waiting for a week to post this as I stumbled upon a very similar dagger to the one I posted here 3 years ago. I needed to wait for the auction to end before I could ask questions about it. Here is the link to the now ended auction (moderators, please let me know if this is consistent with the rules).

You will see the hilt furniture and dimensions are virtual twins of the item originally posted on this thread. The only significant difference that I can see is that the blade of the recently sold dagger has a maker's mark. I'm wondering if that indicates any clues about the age/origin of my piece shown in the first post.

I am including pictures from the auction below so they may remain after the auction link is no longer active.

I look forward to reading your perspectives.

[corrado26]

When you look at the fotos of my example you immediately will see the differences: At my stiletto there are two metal rings at both ends of the wooden grip. These are missing at your oiece what makes me think that this is not original.

[shayde78]

Thanks corrado for posting another beautiful example. The conversation from 2017 settled on the fact that this is not a stilleto, but rather a dagger, and was uncertain if it were correct to a pre-Victorian period, or something later. I'm curious what are the implications of another item looking so similar, but with a blade of different cross-section and with a maker's mark. Seems like this isn't something mass produced, but also something that wasn't a one-off hobbyist's project.

[alex8765]

This is vintage replica, with the blade shaped like WW2 German Army dagger blade. Most likely the blade is from post WW2 German dagger, like this one. This blade is exactly the same length as yours.