African dagger. Completely stumped

blue lander · 18th August 2014, 05:32 PM

I'm no expert of course. I did the hot needle test and the material doesn't burn/singe/melt at all. Also it's surprisingly heavy and feels cold to the touch like a stone. And it doesn't have the little black dots/streaks you see in old bones.

I'm sure parallel development is the explanation here. I just thought the similarities were very interesting, especially since these two items seem to have more in common with each other than they do with other swords/knives from their respective regions.

David · 18th August 2014, 06:58 PM

I'm no expert either Blue, but i think this camel bone hilt looks very similar to the material in the hilt from post #10.

blue lander · 18th August 2014, 07:22 PM

You're right, they do look identical. Perhaps it is camel bone. If I ever try to sell it I'll definitely categorize it as such.

I have a pipe with a camel bone shaft and it feels like regular bone. This one feels more like a rock.

David · 18th August 2014, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue lander

You're right, they do look identical. Perhaps it is camel bone. If I ever try to sell it I'll definitely categorize it as such.

Well, given the laws surrounding ivory here in the States you certainly wouldn't want to call it that even if it truly was…

blue lander · 20th October 2014, 06:33 PM

I bought another pair of these , I don't even know why. These look a little different than the others.

blue lander · 11th November 2014, 04:58 PM

They just arrived. They appear to be made of the same material as the other two, whatever that is. Attached are two closeups of the hilt.

blue lander · 30th March 2015, 02:17 PM

An auction recently ended on two more of these, nobody bid on it. These have straight blades and the pattern on the hilt looks a bit different.

18th August 2014, 06:58 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	I'm no expert either Blue, but i think this camel bone hilt looks very similar to the material in the hilt from post #10. Attached Images

20th October 2014, 06:33 PM	#5
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	I bought another pair of these , I don't even know why. These look a little different than the others. Attached Images

11th November 2014, 04:58 PM	#6
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	They just arrived. They appear to be made of the same material as the other two, whatever that is. Attached are two closeups of the hilt. Attached Images

30th March 2015, 02:17 PM	#7
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	An auction recently ended on two more of these, nobody bid on it. These have straight blades and the pattern on the hilt looks a bit different. Attached Images

18th August 2014, 05:32 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	I'm no expert of course. I did the hot needle test and the material doesn't burn/singe/melt at all. Also it's surprisingly heavy and feels cold to the touch like a stone. And it doesn't have the little black dots/streaks you see in old bones. I'm sure parallel development is the explanation here. I just thought the similarities were very interesting, especially since these two items seem to have more in common with each other than they do with other swords/knives from their respective regions.

18th August 2014, 07:22 PM	#3
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	You're right, they do look identical. Perhaps it is camel bone. If I ever try to sell it I'll definitely categorize it as such. I have a pipe with a camel bone shaft and it feels like regular bone. This one feels more like a rock.