Philippine Officer's Dagger
 

Greetings folks,

I got this little dagger off of eBay. It is 14 inches overall. The blade is wavy and made from a file (see pics).

Now the hilt is made of horn with silver inlays and mounts. 3 silver stars on each side and a single star on front and back. The line sections were missing but 3 nail holes in each section, so I restored these and made silver nails as well.

Originally the blade was covered in red rust, the silver mounts tarnished black, and the horn was covered in a film of dirt and something else.

I think this is might be a 1st Republic dagger and perhaps Ilokano (if not it could be Visayan, but I lean towards Ilokano).

I am wondering if this might be an in-between period, between the exposure of the Katipunan and the creation of the 1st Philippine Republic at Malolos under Aguinaldo. The triangle sun face and 3 stars is missing, but the 3 stars for the 3 island groups is present.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

This is how I got the piece:

Wow!! Great work in restauration. A beautiful dagger and a great adquisition!!! I love this dagger !!!
Best regards
Carlos

Excellent job. It’s beautiful and historic as well!

Only a skilled eye can see what's beneath the crud. This is a very nice blade.

Thank you folks! :D


I did a little comparison to other Ilokano daggers and am now of the opinion that this is indeed Ilokano.

Hello Jose,

Now I know who bid me out on this one!! :mad: :D
And it turned out like I guessed, it's a real beauty!! :)
I would go with you and believe it's Ilokano origin.

Regards,
Detlef

PS:

Thanks Detlef!

Yeah I saw the potential too. :D

I am firming up what I have learned about the differences between the Visayan styles and the Ilokano styles of wavy blades.

I didn,t see the auction...maybe the next time!

This are the highlights of collecting IMVHO when you find a very neglected beauty and bring it back to former glory. Certainly a piece of history, I am glad that it is now in good hands! ;) :cool:

Regards,
Detlef

I am wondering if the silver parts above and below the middle star are parts of sun rays of Katipunan and 1st Republic flags. Compare:

http://www.watawat.net/flags_and_sym...punan_-_5.html

http://www.watawat.net/from_the_kati..._symbol-6.html

And some pictures here from the Watawat website:

Hello Jose,

I would say yes, it's a symbol of the 1st Republic.

Regards,
Detlef