Any ideas as to the origin of this guardless dagger?

[Mark]

No idea. Do you have it in hand yet? It actually looks like a letter-opener to me, but I hope I'm wrong.

[katana]

Originally Posted by Mark

No idea. It actually looks like a letter-opener to me, but I hope I'm wrong.

You and Spiral both
Well it arrived, blade is tempered steel, not edged but very sharply pointed...so not a letter opener.....however, the balance point is exactly at the point the handle ends/ 'blade' starts. The feel suggested to me that it may be a 'thrower'...seeing as it was very cheap...I took it into the garden and throw it ....not away ....at a wooden board.

Bearing in mind, I am no 'knife-thrower' out of 10 attempts the 'knife' stuck perfectly 9 times.
Certainly not a well made knife...has some age..possibly WW2 era ......but definately functional.

[Andrew]

I think I see the remains of hatching in the bottom picture. Any chance this was made from a file?

How is the blade attached to the handle?

[Tim Simmons]

There is an almost identical one but with a guard on offer on a well known internet auction site. The stacked handle brings to mind the Mediterranean. North Africa to Somalia. The stilleto is not unknown there abouts.

[katana]

Hi Andrew,

It is very difficult to determine whether the areas that have this pattern of discolouration (which seems to give the cross hatching 'effect') is evidence that this is made from a file.(even when viewed under magnification) The blade 'rings' when tapped and has slight 'flex' which 'springs' back. If a file was used I would imagine that it was annealed and re-tempered with less hardness/brittleness of that of the file.
The blade tapers to a 'shoulder' ...then to a rat tail tang that appears to be peened at the pommel (the metal disc of the pommel has plenty of dings and dents and is impossible to see).
I am assuming that this is some sort of throwing knife..purely because of the balance and ease of use (its certainly been fun ).
This could just as easily be used as a stabbing weapon.....perhaps covertly carried ...despite its length....it could easily be concealed in clothing as it is so slim.

Hi Tim,
when I first saw this I suspected Morocco, for two reasons, as you pointed out the stacked handle is common to the region.....but also I seem to remember a reference to a long thin pointed stilleto (no sharpened edges) and was guardless....which were concealed in the sleeves........

[Emanuel]

Hi David,
The transition from flat blade to round tang is interesting. Actually it looks a bit like a chisel blade. But you say it's flexible, so I wonder what it could be. Stiletto is just as well...a nice knife...as for throwing, consider moving target practice squirrels beware.

Emanuel

[katana]

Originally Posted by Manolo

Hi David,
The transition from flat blade to round tang is interesting. Actually it looks a bit like a chisel blade. But you say it's flexible, so I wonder what it could be. Stiletto is just as well...a nice knife...as for throwing, consider moving target practice squirrels beware.

Emanuel

Hi Emanuel,
a chisel could be a good suggestion. When I say flexible the point can be deflected about 1.5" (approx. 3.6cm) up or down...so about 3" of 'movement' overall. Perhaps, like a file, a chisel annealed (softened), and then tempered to a hardness that is less than 'tool' steel ?

[Daniel]

The shape reminds me of both a sharpening steel (ground down flat), or a cabinet maker's burnisher (for turning the edge on cabinet scrapers). Is the cross section flat, or oval?
DD