Knife with a Spanish Influence?

[RobT]

Ian,

Here are examples of this type of sheath from my collection. All the blades are plainly from the Philippines. In the cases where the entire sheath is present, the blades fit the sheaths. The fragmentary sheaths fit the area of the blade by the hilt.
All examples have a leather throat reinforcement with a scalloped bottom and, in all cases, the reinforcement is pierced on the sides to accept a diagonally transverse belt. Even in instances where the belt is missing, this piercing is evident.
I know that blades that have lost their original sheaths are frequently paired with improper replacements but, with this number of examples, I think it is safe to conclude that these sheaths were part of Philippine material culture. Whether they were adopted from Spanish designs, I can’t say.

Sincerely,
RobT