Eastern European/Polish daggers dressed in bone

[Ian]

This group of knives was sold individually at a recent auction. The first one was described as "Eastern European," while the other three were described as Polish based on the national figures carved into the bone sheaths. Dressed entirely in bone hilts, guards, and sheaths, they are quite distinctive, and I'm sure some folks on this forum will have seen them before. The auction house described them as 18th C "nobility knives." Judging from the prices paid, they seem to be well sought after and desirable items to collect.
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[Pertinax]

Hello Ian

On the second daggers image:
Stefan Batory - King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania since 1576.
Sigismund III - King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from December 27, 1587.

Third and fourth France.

Regards, Yuri

[awdaniec666]

Polish nobility wore a saber at the belt and often used a warhammer as a walking stick. Daggers (even more this decorated) were something a Polish nobleman would not wear, as it was considered dishonorable and there are accounts of that and comparisons to the Italian culture.
I have red about those daggers described in Polish literature between 1890-1939 as souvenir objects at best and saw similar on ebay some time ago.
Of course there were daggers in 18th century Poland - I highly doubt these are those. I own copies of most books about Polish arms and armor ever printed - these daggers are not included.
Lastly, high prices alone are no indicator of historic value.

[awdaniec666]

Despite my scepticism about these daggers, I didn't want to withhold this example from the Swedish Livrustkammaren which I found yesterday while rummaging through their archives. It is dated to the middle of the 19th century. In my opinion still a tourist piece.