South American Knives

Lee · 23rd February 2023, 10:59 PM

Here are a few more South American knives. The longer of the first two seems to have the requisite features of a facón with a long slender and thin blade with extensive etched decoration. The blade of the second is also narrow and thin but presently shorter.

Lee · 23rd February 2023, 11:07 PM

Next, a couple of puñales and a verijero. The top knife is marked for a retailer in Buenos Aires.

Lee · 23rd February 2023, 11:11 PM

Next a couple with gold highlights marked for a retailer or maker in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Sajen · 24th February 2023, 07:13 PM

Hello Lee,

Very nice collection of the so called "Gaucho knives" and very well described!

Are the mounts by all examples from silver?

Regards,
Detlef

Lee · 24th February 2023, 08:04 PM

Detlef, thank you, I think the mountings of all of them are silver alloys. I suspect the top one in the second post will be the least fine. The middle knife in post #2 above (with the gold initials on the sheath) is marked on the hilt and clip with either '900' or '800', but the punch is so tiny that I cannot be sure even using a jeweler's loupe. That knife is also marked 'ADRIAN' on the clip.

The one I previously presented, marked 'Napoleon III', tested an average of 72% silver for the mounts by XRF with a few percent variation between readings, with its suspected Solingen steel blade having 0.64% Manganese followed by 0.62% Silicon.

Sajen · 24th February 2023, 09:59 PM

Hello Lee,

Thank you. I have handled a few of them but mostly the more recent stuff and I am very careful to buy them since there are so much recent examples on the market but I would be more interested to add a few antique examples to my collection.
The best one I have owned but resold is in the first picture, it would be of great interest for me to know an approx. age from this example. And are they manufactured completely in Germany or they use only the blades in Argentina?
The second one was sold for a high price by a German auction not long ago, I think it's a Brazil knife. This is something I would like to own.

Regards,
Detlef

Norman McCormick · 26th February 2023, 08:02 PM

Hi,
This is the only other S.American knife I have. Criollo Punal, blade made by J.A. Henckels. Solingen. imported by and hilt made? by R Laydner, Porto Alegre, Brazil. The knife is 14 1/2 inches overall with a 9 1/2 inch blade. The hilt is good quality and seems to be silver. The sheath is leather with a plated brass chape. It would appear to date from the 1st quarter 20thC as the particular style of Henckels logo stamped on the blade was introduced in 1900 although the company has been going since the latter part of the 18thC. As far as I can gather R. Laydner exhibited amongst other things cutlery at a trade fair in the U.S.A. in 1895.
Regards,
Norman.

23rd February 2023, 10:59 PM	#1
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 913	South American Knives Here are a few more South American knives. The longer of the first two seems to have the requisite features of a facón with a long slender and thin blade with extensive etched decoration. The blade of the second is also narrow and thin but presently shorter. Attached Images

23rd February 2023, 11:11 PM	#3
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 913	Next a couple with gold highlights marked for a retailer or maker in Montevideo, Uruguay. Attached Images

24th February 2023, 09:59 PM	#6
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,779	Hello Lee, Thank you. I have handled a few of them but mostly the more recent stuff and I am very careful to buy them since there are so much recent examples on the market but I would be more interested to add a few antique examples to my collection. The best one I have owned but resold is in the first picture, it would be of great interest for me to know an approx. age from this example. And are they manufactured completely in Germany or they use only the blades in Argentina? The second one was sold for a high price by a German auction not long ago, I think it's a Brazil knife. This is something I would like to own. Regards, Detlef Attached Images

26th February 2023, 08:02 PM	#7
Norman McCormick Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,597	Hi, This is the only other S.American knife I have. Criollo Punal, blade made by J.A. Henckels. Solingen. imported by and hilt made? by R Laydner, Porto Alegre, Brazil. The knife is 14 1/2 inches overall with a 9 1/2 inch blade. The hilt is good quality and seems to be silver. The sheath is leather with a plated brass chape. It would appear to date from the 1st quarter 20thC as the particular style of Henckels logo stamped on the blade was introduced in 1900 although the company has been going since the latter part of the 18thC. As far as I can gather R. Laydner exhibited amongst other things cutlery at a trade fair in the U.S.A. in 1895. Regards, Norman. Attached Images

23rd February 2023, 11:07 PM	#2
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 913	Next, a couple of puñales and a verijero. The top knife is marked for a retailer in Buenos Aires. Attached Images

24th February 2023, 07:13 PM	#4
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,779	Hello Lee, Very nice collection of the so called "Gaucho knives" and very well described! Are the mounts by all examples from silver? Regards, Detlef

24th February 2023, 08:04 PM	#5
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 913	Detlef, thank you, I think the mountings of all of them are silver alloys. I suspect the top one in the second post will be the least fine. The middle knife in post #2 above (with the gold initials on the sheath) is marked on the hilt and clip with either '900' or '800', but the punch is so tiny that I cannot be sure even using a jeweler's loupe. That knife is also marked 'ADRIAN' on the clip. The one I previously presented, marked 'Napoleon III', tested an average of 72% silver for the mounts by XRF with a few percent variation between readings, with its suspected Solingen steel blade having 0.64% Manganese followed by 0.62% Silicon.