Jim, i would not know the actual meaning of the brass dots on the corvo of Don Artemon Arellano's collection, but in case you are not aware, this is how
Chilean corvos classified in a local blog.
1 - Luxury corvos: these are carefully and carefully made, measuring approximately 30 centimeters in total including the handle, the latter generally made of several alternating rings of bone, bronze, wood or stones. Although they may eventually be tools or weapons, it seems that presentation and symbolism predominate in the nature of this type of corvos over their mere functionality.
2 - Popular corvos: they are those that were made in a very artisanal way, with simple wooden or bone handles, conceived as tools for different trades but that, circumstantially, were converted into combat weapons, and apparently they serve this purpose quite well.
3 - Historiated corvos: these are those that have whitish,
yellowish metal or brass circles embedded in their blade, or have been engraved with "trees of death" and other similar marks, intended to count the number of deaths passed through the weapon, a characteristic which gives it a macabre added value as a relic, since it is supposed to be used directly as a weapon of war and sometimes also in banditry.