Faca de ponte or just a souvenir of Brazil??

[RobT]

Hi All,

The belt keeper on David R's example looks Brazilian. AFAIK the Germans don't use that type of belt keeper. On the other hand, David R's sheath is missing the typical FDP flared chape made of a separate piece of leather and the stitching on the back is atypical for a FDP sheath. Still, based on the belt keeper, I would vote for Brazil.

Sincerely,
RobT

[kronckew]

Just lost these two FDPs at an auction this morning. (Didn't try too hard tho)

[Gonzoadler]

I found Solingen made knifes which are very similar to David's piece, sometimes they have the etched inscription "high life" on the blade:

https://texasknives.org/tang-stamps/...lingen-dagger/

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...dagger-knife-+

Some others have the inscription "Henry Kaufmann & Sons", which was a producer in Solingen, too:

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/sto...-dagger-from-b

So I think it is still realistic, that David's knife was also made in Solingen.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by RobT

The belt keeper on David R's example looks Brazilian. AFAIK the Germans don't use that type of belt keeper. On the other hand, David R's sheath is missing the typical FDP flared chape made of a separate piece of leather and the stitching on the back is atypical for a FDP sheath. Still, based on the belt keeper, I would vote for Brazil

Hello Rob,

I would agree with Robins last post, these Solingen knives get exported to South America and the scabbards are made in the local style.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Helleri]

sorry meant this to be a reply to a specific reply and screwed that up.

[RobT]

[QUOTEI would agree with Robins last post, these Solingen knives get exported to South America and the scabbards are made in the local style.[/QUOTE]

Detlef,
While you may be correct, I think that the economics of the situation make it unlikely. Labor costs in Germany are far higher than those of Brazil so a good knife made in Brazil would cost considerably less to make than a cheap knife made in Germany. Added to that, a large segment of the Brazilian population isn't just poor, it's desperately poor so the only market for an imported German knife would be the middle to upper classes who would want (and could afford) the cachet and status of a quality German product. Those people are unlikely to want a cheap knife of any sort. Due to the aforementioned labor cost discrepancy, local manufacturers would be better positioned to serve the needs of the less well off. Certainly, here in the US (which generally has a higher standard of living than does Brazil), I have not seen cheap German products of any sort for sale. I can see a German manufacturer dumping an inventory of items for which there is no longer a market (eg model 1840 cavalry sabers) but that is not the case with these modern made daggers.
Sincerely,
RobT

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by RobT

[QUOTEI would agree with Robins last post, these Solingen knives get exported to South America and the scabbards are made in the local style.

Detlef,
While you may be correct, I think that the economics of the situation make it unlikely. Labor costs in Germany are far higher than those of Brazil so a good knife made in Brazil would cost considerably less to make than a cheap knife made in Germany. Added to that, a large segment of the Brazilian population isn't just poor, it's desperately poor so the only market for an imported German knife would be the middle to upper classes who would want (and could afford) the cachet and status of a quality German product. Those people are unlikely to want a cheap knife of any sort. Due to the aforementioned labor cost discrepancy, local manufacturers would be better positioned to serve the needs of the less well off. Certainly, here in the US (which generally has a higher standard of living than does Brazil), I have not seen cheap German products of any sort for sale. I can see a German manufacturer dumping an inventory of items for which there is no longer a market (eg model 1840 cavalry sabers) but that is not the case with these modern made daggers.
Sincerely,
RobT[/QUOTE]

Hello Rob,
This is what I read once somewhere else but unfortunately I can't remember where.
See in this context also here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ight=venezuela

Best regards,
Detlef

[RobT]

Detlef,

The knife you show is clearly of good quality (clean lines, thick spine, quality fittings and hilt, tight construction) and as such, was certainly sold to a more affluent Venezuelan. Your knife also appears to have some age and an early 20th century date doesn't seem to be unlikely, so it is a far cry in both time and quality from the currently made and cheap German knives shown in this thread. My argument isn't against the economic viability of expensive European or US items being sold to the Hispanic upper crust from the mid 19th century to the present (witness all the 50's Yank tanks still chugging along in Cuba). What I find to be economically impossible is the ability to sell cheap European or US products made in the last quarter of the 20th century to present, in Hispaniola. Any such market would be serviced by the Chinese. It is undisputed that, since the 1850s, German import/export firms located in South America provided German (as well as French and US) luxury items for wealthy South Americans. The heyday of these firms appears to have been from the latter half of the 19th through the first quarter of the 20th centuries. I have provided a post card photo of the Van Dissel building in Maracaibo which, judging by the parked cars, appears to have been taken in the 1920s-1930s. The online monograph, Christern & Co. y los comerciantes alemanes de Maracaibo, by E Espínola Benítez · 2006, http://ve.scielo.org (English translation available) which gives a history of the five main German import/export firms in operation at that time clearly shows that the European (and US) goods offered for sale were high end products intended for the well-to-do. Van Dissel, Rode & Co is mentioned in the monograph as one of those main five firms.

Sincerely,
RobT