Morocco dagger!

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by shayde78

I am by NO means an expert (novice is more accurate). Still, here are my two cents

I agree the scabbard seems of better quality that the rest. I think when Ariel indicates an issue with the blade, the issue is it appears to be pretty two-dimensional. There doesn't seem to be much of a clear bevel, and the cross section seems consistent with thin bar stock/sheet steel. Rather than being forged, it was probably ground down to shape. The hilt seems overdone with the nail heads and the 'gem'. There might be some components of the hilt with some age, but I suspect the nails and gem are much more recent embellishments. Take a look at the second set of pictures here, for some guidance on exactly this topic: http://vikingsword.com/ethsword/guide.html

As to your original question of "is this dagger a good start", that is up to you. If the price is right, and you have an idea of what you're actually getting, this could be a good start, and will give you a sense of what to look for in future items you might like to pick up.

Good luck!

Shayde, that is beautifully explained, which is excellent in helping in understanding the dynamics which lead to the proper evaluation of this dagger. Although not of course the assessment Hombre had likely hoped for, it is truly helpful to have these insights, which is most informative for us all.

It is often very difficult to identify many weapons forms and their variants, and helps a great deal when such details considered are explained.