Unusual old knife, origin unknown???

[wildwolberine]

Just added this unusual old knife to my collection. I would certainly appreciate any insight into its origins! I think it has characteristics of knives from northern Luzon but the hilt is an unusual shape. Appears to be missing a ferrule. Old, worn scabbard with a single rattan band remaining. Blade has a rounded tip and certainly shows a lot of wear.

[Battara]

The carvings look Visayan to me, but the blade isn't.

Could also be Formosan.

[ausjulius]

Originally Posted by wildwolberine

Just added this unusual old knife to my collection. I would certainly appreciate any insight into its origins! I think it has characteristics of knives from northern Luzon but the hilt is an unusual shape. Appears to be missing a ferrule. Old, worn scabbard with a single rattan band remaining. Blade has a rounded tip and certainly shows a lot of wear.

Can we see the spine of the blade? How thick is it,? , what is the blade edge profile like? Single beveled or doubly beveled?

[werecow]

Kind of reminds me of the Bhutanese short swords with the open scabbards. Probably just convergent evolution but can't help but wonder if there's a connection there.

[wildwolberine]

Originally Posted by ausjulius

Can we see the spine of the blade? How thick is it,? , what is the blade edge profile like? Single beveled or doubly beveled?

Of course! The blade is about 5mm at the hilt. The blade’s very rough and beaten-up, but it seems to have a double bevel. It actually curves forward slightly, with the spine in front of the rounded tip about in line with the center of the hilt.

[wildwolberine]

Originally Posted by Battara

The carvings look Visayan to me, but the blade isn't.

Could also be Formosan.

Thanks! I thought Formosa could be a possibility.

[wildwolberine]

Originally Posted by werecow

Kind of reminds me of the Bhutanese short swords with the open scabbards. Probably just convergent evolution but can't help but wonder if there's a connection there.

Very interesting! I can see the resemblance with the hilts.