Antique knife

ALEX · 10th January 2017, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

... It would be equally possible for this knife to have come from Styria...

I also agree. These marks are common on blades of vast Celtic origin, which Styria was part of. One theory is that they indicated quality of the blade, with one being low and three being top. Here's from "Celtic Long Swords with Punchmarks" by Duleba Przemyslaw, Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw: "The blades of certain Celtic swords were marked with punchmarks made with specially prepared stamp. The marks were punched in the top parts of the blades of two-edged swords (both in long swords as well as short ones with anthropomorphic hilts), usually a few centimeters below the hilt. Single punchmarks are most common, however marks in groups of two and even three have been found. Some marks were inlaid with gold, silver or brass. There have been various interpretations of the function of these punchmark. Attempts have been made to prove that these marks are the signs or “brands” of specific blacksmiths, and also signs of property, custom made for selected warriors,however, the most probable answer is that these are magical-religious symbols...". This refers to earlier Styrian swords of course, but could spill into adjacent/later periods.
For the reference, you may see the complete publication HERE

Jim McDougall · 11th January 2017, 02:30 AM

Alex,
Thank you so much for the excellent supportive information on this knife, and especially for this fantastic link!!! This is great to add to resources on punch marks.........very much appreciated.

All the best
Jim

Evgeny_K · 12th January 2017, 09:06 AM

Jim, Alex, thank you!
Punchmarks = indicators of quality looks quite convincing
Look at this sickle of the same period and from the same region - it bears three similar marks:

ALEX · 12th January 2017, 10:22 AM

Evgeny, the same conclusion about these marks was reached by several collectors of similar items that were discovered in Austria, which Styria was/is part of. It is hard to judge the quality of relic blades, but some correlation between number of marks, quality and/or complexity of production or construction can be noticed, so the theory remains plausible.

12th January 2017, 09:06 AM	#3
Evgeny_K Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 213	Jim, Alex, thank you! Punchmarks = indicators of quality looks quite convincing Look at this sickle of the same period and from the same region - it bears three similar marks: Attached Images

11th January 2017, 02:30 AM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,200	Alex, Thank you so much for the excellent supportive information on this knife, and especially for this fantastic link!!! This is great to add to resources on punch marks.........very much appreciated. All the best Jim

12th January 2017, 10:22 AM	#4
ALEX Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 936	Evgeny, the same conclusion about these marks was reached by several collectors of similar items that were discovered in Austria, which Styria was/is part of. It is hard to judge the quality of relic blades, but some correlation between number of marks, quality and/or complexity of production or construction can be noticed, so the theory remains plausible.