Bringing back an atypical (?) dagger

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

I do seem to recall this intriguing anomaly, and hard to believe it was two decades ago! Do you recall any dialogue or comments in those earlier discussions?
All i can speculate is this must be some sort of perhaps naval dirk, and seems very much something one off...

Thank you for your good willing, Jim. The only attempt i recall being approached with some exchange between members was that it could be a left hand dagger; an opinion i would not support myself, starting by the lack of robustness of the guard. I would not call it a dirk either; i don't see it has the looks of it.
One noteworthy detail it didn't raise at the time, as i didn't mention or even posted adequate pictures is that, the tang doesn't have the 'spike' shape but, instead, is flat and so wide as the grip; which (only now) comes to my mind that this dagger may have been built from a broken sword blade, that of a slender rapier. Its blade looks indeed like rather serious stuff. It helps considering that it was bought in a street fair (in 2002) down South, a 100 miles away from Spain, suggesting we may deal with either a Portuguese or Spanish provenance. And a village smith with personal imagination and a few 'punzones' avbailable, commissioned by a customer without (or with) graphic demands.
As for those marks in the quillon underside looking like real letters, what do i know ? Maybe just "look like".


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