Canary Islands Dagger or Spanish Philippines Naval Dirk?

Ian · 7th January 2024, 02:42 PM

This is a tale of two nearly identical daggers that went to auction within a few weeks of each other. They are the only two examples of this knife that I have seen. The first went to auction on November 23, 2023 and was passed in. The second was sold by a different auction house on January 7, 2024.

1. Described as "19th C Canary Islands Dagger"
The brass guard and pommel clearly have some oxidation suggesting a certain amount of age, as does the presumably brass scabbard. The blade shows some signs of lamination, although it is hard to identify due to some oxidation and grime. The stacked hilt seems to include rings of horn and shell interspersed with iron and brass. The pommel has a depression that would fit the thumb when using an ice-pick grip.

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2. Described as "18th–19th C Spanish or Philippines Naval Dirk"
This one has been thoroughly cleaned and looks much newer, but I think they are the same age judging from the stacked hilts. The stacked hilt has the same composition as the first example, and there is a very similar scabbard. There are subtle differences in the toe and throat of the scabbard, the curvature of the brass guards, and in the details of the stacked hilts.

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Both knives are said to measure 11.5 inches in their sheaths.

So, what are they? The stacked hilts don't look like those on the traditional Canary Islands naif. The hilts have some resemblance to those seen on Chilean corvo, but the rings seem looser and less varied in composition. I've not seen many stacked hilts from the Philippines, and none that looked like these. The close fitting scabbards might suggest a French origin and the thumb groove on the pommel would also fit.

Where do they come from? If there are two, there should be more. Has anyone else seen these daggers before? I tried a Google image search and got nowhere. I have not searched through Artzi's or Gavin's copious archives, but prior inspection for other items did not turn up anything like this as far as I recall.

Mystery .... ????

7th January 2024, 02:42 PM	#1
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,200	Canary Islands Dagger or Spanish Philippines Naval Dirk? This is a tale of two nearly identical daggers that went to auction within a few weeks of each other. They are the only two examples of this knife that I have seen. The first went to auction on November 23, 2023 and was passed in. The second was sold by a different auction house on January 7, 2024. 1. Described as "19th C Canary Islands Dagger" The brass guard and pommel clearly have some oxidation suggesting a certain amount of age, as does the presumably brass scabbard. The blade shows some signs of lamination, although it is hard to identify due to some oxidation and grime. The stacked hilt seems to include rings of horn and shell interspersed with iron and brass. The pommel has a depression that would fit the thumb when using an ice-pick grip. 2. Described as "18th–19th C Spanish or Philippines Naval Dirk" This one has been thoroughly cleaned and looks much newer, but I think they are the same age judging from the stacked hilts. The stacked hilt has the same composition as the first example, and there is a very similar scabbard. There are subtle differences in the toe and throat of the scabbard, the curvature of the brass guards, and in the details of the stacked hilts. Both knives are said to measure 11.5 inches in their sheaths. So, what are they? The stacked hilts don't look like those on the traditional Canary Islands naif. The hilts have some resemblance to those seen on Chilean corvo, but the rings seem looser and less varied in composition. I've not seen many stacked hilts from the Philippines, and none that looked like these. The close fitting scabbards might suggest a French origin and the thumb groove on the pommel would also fit. Where do they come from? If there are two, there should be more. Has anyone else seen these daggers before? I tried a Google image search and got nowhere. I have not searched through Artzi's or Gavin's copious archives, but prior inspection for other items did not turn up anything like this as far as I recall. Mystery .... ????