A Rustic Navaja

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

Rick,

Very hard to date these with great accuracy.

At a guess the larger one could have been made anywhere between the 1920s and the 1950s, though the elegant back spring suggests a pre WWII provenance.

The smaller one was most likely made in the 1960s or even 70s judging by the construction. These cheap and garishly decorated navajas were aimed at the souvenir market.

Cheers
Chris

Thank you Chris.
Everything is very tight, no blade wobble, sharp notches etc.
It must not have seen very much use in the past.

[Chris Evans]

Rick,

Are maker's brand visible ?

Cheers
Chris

[carlos]

The bigger is from Albacete ( Spain) and the other navaja is typical fom Santa Cruz de Mudela ( Spain) .

[Rick]

Originally Posted by carlos

The bigger is from Albacete ( Spain) and the other navaja is typical fom Santa Cruz de Mudela ( Spain) .

Hi Carlos, thank you. I got the little one 20 years or so ago.
I was surprised even then what I ended up bidding for it.
Looking at ebay these days I can see that the little ones still sell for much more than I would consider a fair price.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

Rick,

Are maker's brand visible ?

Cheers
Chris

No makers marks, Chris; only Albacete.

It looks like one that might have been purchased from a Cuchillero, street vendor.

[Chris Evans]

Rick,

Carlos is absolutely right, the smaller souvenir navaja is typical of those made in St Cruz de Mudela, a giveaway are the little brass strips in the handle (cintillos). These rarely had the name of the maker and were marked with the ubiquitous "TOLEDO", suggesting to the gullible buyer a provenance from the famous swordsmiths of that city, by that time long gone.

The larger navaja, with the marking "ALBACETE", was a user. I have one that looks identical to yours and it also lacks the makers name, being marked only "ALBACETE".

Cheers
Chris