I wouldn't have a problem attributing at least moderate aging to the originally-posted dagger. The determining factor for me is the old damage to the hilt; one bit had broken off and been lost, the corresponding area on the other side has been repaired, the broken bit returned and pinned in a similar fashion to the original installation. Then too, the photo of the grip scales taken from above the back of the dagger shows one scale to be slightly longer than the other, with the horn(?) liner obviously shorter. I don't know if the subtleties of the modern forgers would deliberately go to those extremes to fake a certain age.
The idea of using old blades to fake modern antiques is charming, and mankind's constant quest for adding value is an inspiration to us all. Digging about for information is not so different from digging about for antique parts to resurrect; both processes add value to an object, using different but still high-level skill sets. Antique faking is a skill that goes back to, yes, antiquity, and will persist as long as does mankind.
Whatever the age, the objects in this thread are breath-taking in their execution, and I'd be pleased and proud to own any of them, even if I was proved a fool for so doing. Who cares? They're gorgeous daggers.
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