The hilt appears to be pewter and cast onto the blade, while the style is something that I've not seen before, both in the blade shape and the pommel treatment.
The floral pattern to the icizing in the hilt, to me, seems to have an Indian or SE Asian flair to it, with the 2nd area bringing to mind Thailand.
My suggestion is that it's a paper knife/letter opener or else specialty knife for some sort of soft food particualrly because I don't see any signs of a taper from the spine to the edge, which makes me ask instead of assuming: is the blade flat or does it taper from the spine to a thinner edge?
Likewise, is it sharp or only semi sharp?
After looking at it again, the script before the design on the blade and the pommel shape made me think that I'd better not rule out the perrenial favorite for unusual pieces, Morocco, as the end does bear a distinct similarity to the Jambiyas with the wide, Napoleonic hat flavor.
Mike
Last edited by Conogre; 28th February 2005 at 03:52 PM.
Reason: afterthought
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