Thank you gentlemen for the kind words of encouragement. I am not afraid to look foolish (sometimes all it takes is a good look in the mirror to know that one can’t hide the truth
). While I may not have been collecting as long and as extensively as some of the members here, I too have had my experiences both with getting duped and finding terrific bargains from uneducated folks who don’t know or don’t care about the value of what they are selling. In fact, I have to admit that I have a few handmade, good quality replicas in my collection that I bought on a whim and never regret doing so.
The seller of this dagger did not make any representations in regards to its age other than saying that is is old, which is a relative term. I saw the item and judged it to be from the early 20th century (WW1 era). Few things looked a bit suspicious to me but I took the risk. Despite this alledgedly being a tourist piece it does not appear to be cheaply made, and as such will find its rightful place on my wall. Of course I will be able to better judge what I have once the item reaches me by mail. In any case, my mistake only sets me back $65, so not a tremendous loss and it is still a pretty cool looking dagger.
Thanks again to all who replied. I look forward to learning more from this forum and from each of you.