id small pretty letter opener

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by gp

the bolster indeed looks the same, but that is one and actually the only aspect of similarity, or do I misunderstand you?

- what about the blade and its decoration? None of the German Solingen have the golden Medieval saint decoration or actually any decoration at all

- next to the filigree rosaces on the handle... which are not German but Italian and also found in Spain

- also "the curl"is part of the vitorv' s dagger blade and not the bolster like in all of your examples...

or am I looking into too much detail and perhaps mistaken or wrong ? what are your thoughts ?

Hi Gunar,

High class nicker could have decorations on the blade, I've seen a lot with decorations on the blade, can't find many examples online.
The handle decoration is indeed very unusual but frankly I am not aware of a nicker culture in Spain or Italy but there might be nicker in North Italy. I am very positive that the knife in question is a nicker. Also the blade shape tells me that it's a nicker.
Like said before, I guess that the piece in question is a very old example. But I am far away from being an expert on these daggers.
I asked Google KI if nicker are common in South Tyrol.

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Here a short description from Google KI

[Sajen]

The figure on the blade from Vitor's knife could be Hubertus von Liege, the tutelary saint of the hunters.

[gp]

great, thnx a lot for these examples!

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by gp

great, thnx a lot for these examples!

You're welcome!

[vitorvt]

Thank you Sajen, thank you gp, for your interest and for sharing your knowledge and pics.

Sajen, I don't know if the figure is Saint Hubertus von Liege, as the one on my knife has a spear. As for the lady, she is depicted on top of a crescent moon, which indicates that She is Our Lady Mary. And I think that in turn is on top of a snake? I'm going to clean it now.
Yours is a considerable collection, with some very interesting and exquisite pieces, thank you for sharing.
I had no idea that such a variety of knives existed. It is a good theme for collecting, provided that the prices are not exorbitant.

It has been established that it is a nicker, but what about the age? 19th century? Older? Questions and more questions...
Thank you.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by vitorvt

Thank you Sajen, thank you gp, for your interest and for sharing your knowledge and pics.

Sajen, I don't know if the figure is Saint Hubertus von Liege, as the one on my knife has a spear. As for the lady, she is depicted on top of a crescent moon, which indicates that She is Our Lady Mary. And I think that in turn is on top of a snake? I'm going to clean it now.
Yours is a considerable collection, with some very interesting and exquisite pieces, thank you for sharing.
I had no idea that such a variety of knives existed. It is a good theme for collecting, provided that the prices are not exorbitant.

It has been established that it is a nicker, but what about the age? 19th century? Older? Questions and more questions...
Thank you.

Hi Vitor,

Please share pictures when it's cleaned! And be careful with the cleaning, like GP said, there is a risk to remove the golden (?) accents.
It could be Hubertus but it could also be another figure, it's difficult to see due the rust. And yes, it will be from the 19th century, how old exactly I can't say. Your nicker is a real beauty, I never have seen a similar one before.

Regards,
Detlef