Stiletto Dagger

[Lennon]

I'm yet another noob needing advice from some of you more knowledgeable folks. My main question... is this junk or possibly valuable? I am unable to find anyone in my area that knows anything about it. I unearthed this dagger about a quarter of a mile off of the Holston River in Hickory Tree TN (part of Bluff City TN). This area has heavy ties to the Civil war and the Cherokee Indians but neither of those relate directly to a dagger of this sort. The dagger measures 13" and has no visible markings. If you have any info to share or recommendations of other places to post please let me know. Thank You very much.

 

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[4x4x4]

....Man, that's interesting. Cannot tell by the photos....is the blade flat , conical , 3 sided ?
If flat , can you see a specific grind (concave ect..)?

Knife Blade Edge Grind Types | OsoGrandeKnives

 

[Lennon]

4x4x4... Its so rusted over it is hard to tell. The top of the blade is squared off (4 sided) just under 1/2 inch thick on all sides. As it tapers to the point it becomes cone shaped and looses its flatened sides. Thank
s for looking at it for me.

 

[relic lover]

That's pretty wild looking I wonder if it had some sort of ceremonial use

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[4x4x4]

....Is there a Mark, an"O", just above the Quillions , the protector where the base of the grip terminates? Might be a makers mark.

 

[cw0909]

cant help with Id
even if its not worth $$, i would do some electrolysis
neat looking piece, would look good cleaned up

 

[Lennon]

....Is there a Mark, an"O", just above the Quillions , the protector where the base of the grip terminates? Might be a makers mark.

That very well may be an "O" trying to peek through (hard to tell). I had not noticed it before. I tried to zoom in but my camera would only let me get so close.. Either an "o", "d" or built up rust in a circular pattern just to taunt me...

 

[ivan salis]

might be old spanish item

 

[FFFPatriot]

Very, very nice! Looking forward to seeing pictures of her all spiffed up!

 

[4x4x4]

Very, very nice! Looking forward to seeing pictures of her all spiffed up!

....Carefully....There might be Jewels beneath !
Really interested.... is it hand wrought or CAST.
In the photo near the breath mint box , the quillion appear to be inserted....also I haven't seen them back swept as one might see on a sword ?
....If you clean this....please look for casting marks on the END of the handle(or pommel). Most CAST were squared....yours is not. If hand wrought , the early work is quite intriguing. Might be a one off"artisan". This may help identify.
Much happiness,
....Mark.

 

[MackDigger]

That's awesome!

 

[Lennon]

cant help with Id
even if its not worth $$, i would do some electrolysis
neat looking piece, would look good cleaned up

Hey cw909.. Again, I am a noob and totally ignorant to antique artifacts. In chance this piece does hold any type of significance, could electrolysis devalue it? (and yes, I'm probably asking because I've seen Pawn Stars lol.)

 

[Kiros32]

Hey cw909.. Again, I am a noob and totally ignorant to antique artifacts. In chance this piece does hold any type of significance, could electrolysis devalue it? (and yes, I'm probably asking because I've seen Pawn Stars lol.)

If done correctly it will not hurt the value. That thing is toasted but I agree with the peanut gallery... it could be something significant.

 

[DCMatt]

Vintage knife sharpening steel from a meat carving set. Not as fancy as the one pictured below but you get the idea...

 

[4x4x4]

Vintage knife sharpening steel from a meat carving set. Not as fancy as the one pictured below but you get the idea...

View attachment 1450320

....Now THAT would explain the back swept guards!

 

[Lennon]

Thank you all for your input. I'm going to do some research on proper electrolysis and give it a shot this weekend. I'll post some new pics in a couple of days.

 

[relic lover]

Vintage knife sharpening steel from a meat carving set. Not as fancy as the one pictured below but you get the idea...

View attachment 1450320

I knew that thing looks familiar I remember whenever I was a kid I used my parents one that they had as a toy sword and ended up leaving it outside after I was done breaking it LOL

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[Oddjob]

That DC Matt is always on it. This dude needs his own forum called Ask Matt.

 

[parsonwalker]

No disrespect to Matt, but I gathered from the OP that the thing was square along most of the blade and only became cone-shaped near the end. How about it lennon? Mostly round, or mostly 4-sided? If it's mostly 4-sided, I've never seen a sharpener like that. or have I just led a sheltered life? Did they come square? I mean, I could IMAGINE such a beast . . . just never seen one.

 

[Lennon]

No disrespect to Matt, but I gathered from the OP that the thing was square along most of the blade and only became cone-shaped near the end. How about it lennon? Mostly round, or mostly 4-sided? If it's mostly 4-sided, I've never seen a sharpener like that. or have I just led a sheltered life? Did they come square? I mean, I could IMAGINE such a beast . . . just never seen one.

I suppose I wasn't very detailed in the OP. It is for sure squared at the top..(pic of Google image just for reference). It seems to lose its square shape and becomes cone shaped just over 2 inches down (but less than half of the total length). However, It IS possible that it remains square throughout. The excessive rust build may hinder the true shape of the "blade/shaft" as it narrows to a point. A good point was made about the guards being tilted back (I assume, to deflect a blade). It makes me believe that Matt's prognosis of a sharpener may be correct. I am in hopes that the squared edge continues further and your perception holds true. Not many intriguing stories about a carving knife sharpener that I'm aware of. I've built my electrolysis set up and will start that process tomorrow (first timer so fingers are crossed). Thank You parsonwalker for the input.