Not sure of what I got, a gaucho knife or a Vendetta Corsa?

[ingelred]

Hello,

I bought this knife at ebay but I am not sure of what I got:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160068068603&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fse arch.dll%3Fcgiurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcgi.ebay.co m%252Fws%252F%26fkr%3D1%26from%3DR8%26satitle%3D16 0068068603%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1

or ebay item number 160068068603

I bought it as a gaucho knife but found an almost identical knife depicted in the 16th annual edition Knives'96 on page 47.
As in Knives'96 the knife is 9.5 inches long with a 6-inch blade and a 3.5-inch handle.
The handle and blade are forged from one piece and as in Knives'96 the handle is fluted on both sides.
The sheath itself is made of iron or steel with a brass band on top and wooden liners inside.
Both the sheath and the handle are nickel plated.
The only difference between my knife and the depicted knife the slightly different decoration of the sheath.
Now my questiones, in Knives'96 the knife is said to be a Vendetta Corsa knife being approximately 180 years old.
The story is that because of a vendetta the last male of one family departed from Corsica to Venezuela about 180 years ago carrying the mentioned knife with him.
Could this be true?
Searching through the internet I found the information that galvanic nickel plating was first done by Faraday in 1832.
Were there other methods for nickel plating used before 1832?

The knife has no marks.
Any further information is appreciated.

Thanks in advance for Your help.

Greetings

[BBJW]

This looks like other gaucho/S.American knives I have seen.

bbjw

[ingelred]

This looks like other gaucho/S.American knives I have seen.

bbjw

Hello bbjw,

I have several German made pre WWI Gaucho knives for comparison.
Although this knife shares some similarities compared to my other Gaucho knives there are some differences.
The main difference between this knife and my other Gaucho knives is the construction of this knife which is forged from one piece only.
Another difference is the nickel plating of the handle and the sheath.
On my other Gaucho knives the handles and sheath are either made of silver or of (silver plated) nickel silver.
I took a look into Del Facon al Bowie and Dagas de Plata by Abel A. Domenech but could not find a knife like this one .

Best regards

[Chris Evans]

Hi ingelred,

That knife looks similar, but only similar, to the general style that emerged as a Gaucho knife in South America in the course of the 19th century, which in turn was based on Spanish and Mediterranean blade configurations.

As Helge correctly points out, the main differences are that the handles and sheaths/fittings of "Gaucho" knives were made either from silver, or later from German Silver and the blade was inserted into the handle. Also, from what I can tell on the photos, your sheath lacks the belt clip on the sheath that is characteristic of the breed.

We must remember that the Sth American nations did not have the facilities to manufacture blades before WWI, so these were imported, either as such or as complete knives. Gaucho knives, so called, are Euro blades re hilted locally.

After much deliberation I am tending to conclude that there is no such thing as a true "Gaucho" knife, since any number of imported blades found their way into those regions and were used freely by the locals. Also, I will go as far as to suggest that the whole idea of the Gaucho is largely a fictionalized national stereotype created by 19th century and later romantic literati. Most "Gauchos" (agricultural labourers) were virtual serfs of landowners and too poor to buy even a pair of boots, let alone a silver knife - Those that nowadays are classified as Gaucho knives were either made in the 20th century, or if earlier, belonged to wealthy landowners, their overseers or warlords.

So your knife could indeed have seen use in Sth America, but it is unlikely to have been fitted out there.

Cheers
Chris

[ingelred]

Hello Chris,

thank You for Your comments.
Concerning the clip, yes, the sheath has a one.

Greetings

[Chris Evans]

Hi Helge,

You are right. Upon a more careful scrutiny I saw the clip. I suppose that you'll have to wait until it arrives, but it will be helpful to see more details from better photos.



Cheers
Chris