I've always had some questions about this dagger ever since I picked it up at an arms & armor auction maybe 15 years ago. The six sided blade was described as inflicting terrific damage since the puncture wound would not naturally close up. It was attributed to European origin and estimated to be from around the 16th century, likely as a woman's concealed defense weapon. My biggest concern with believing the age aspect is that it is in remarkable condition and the blade is mirror polished with no tarnish or rust (colors/patterns on the blade in the pics are just reflections). The blade and the guard are both ferrous and a magnet will stick. The guard does have some light oxidation to it. The fancy business on the handle behind the guard is non-ferrous and has the look of tarnished silver. The scabbard is also non-ferrous but with a frosted yellowish cast to it, possibly a brass/nickel alloy. I have not tried any kind of hot pin testing on the handle but it does appear to be horn. A strong magnet does have some attraction up the handle indicating the tang runs pretty deep into the handle. The pattern on the butt is not perfectly symmetrical, so does look nicely hand carved. The blade is 4-3/8" tip to hilt and the overall length is 8-1/2". I took a pic looking into the scabbard to show the corresponding six sides to the blade.
Any info would be appreciated.
Any info would be appreciated.