A dagger from Morocco

tomato77 · 1st January 2024, 03:04 PM

Thank you, Ian, for the warm welcome. I'll cross my fingers. I have been looking in about every book I could get my hands on to indentify this knife better than 'from north africa'.

Best

Thomas

TVV · 2nd January 2024, 01:18 AM

OK, I will try to give you an answer, though it may not be the answer you are hoping for. To me this looks like something that was made in West Africa, probably Mali, and intended as a souvenir. I am attaching a picture of a couple of daggers, which while not as fancy as yours, are quite similar. The hilts are covered in leather, the leather embossing is similar, the pommels have the same leather loop and the blades are decorated with the same eyelash punch making various designs.

These were not made to be used within the culture, but for sale to tourists, and fancy looks were prioritized over functionality. In fact, most blades look like they were just cut out of a sheet of steel, and not forged. I hope this does not discourage you from sticking around and learning more, and from collecting in general.

tomato77 · 2nd January 2024, 12:43 PM

Thank you, TVV, for your answer. You don't discourage me at all, no problem. That my knife isn't ment to be carried around all day was always obvious and the leather embossing and the ring of your example are definitely very similar. What strikes me as odd are two facts: I've never ever seen a second example of my blade in 20 years of looking for it. That's quite a unique souvenir. And the blade is definitely quite well made. I got one of those examples that you've shown here - though without this intricate embossing - and totally agree that the blade it just a cheap piece of metal as it is the case with several north african knifes I've seen and/or own. This knife though got indeed a pretty well made forged blade and is quite sharp.

Best
Thomas

2nd January 2024, 01:18 AM	#2
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	OK, I will try to give you an answer, though it may not be the answer you are hoping for. To me this looks like something that was made in West Africa, probably Mali, and intended as a souvenir. I am attaching a picture of a couple of daggers, which while not as fancy as yours, are quite similar. The hilts are covered in leather, the leather embossing is similar, the pommels have the same leather loop and the blades are decorated with the same eyelash punch making various designs. These were not made to be used within the culture, but for sale to tourists, and fancy looks were prioritized over functionality. In fact, most blades look like they were just cut out of a sheet of steel, and not forged. I hope this does not discourage you from sticking around and learning more, and from collecting in general. Attached Images

1st January 2024, 03:04 PM	#1
tomato77 Member Join Date: Dec 2023 Posts: 14	Thank you, Ian, for the warm welcome. I'll cross my fingers. I have been looking in about every book I could get my hands on to indentify this knife better than 'from north africa'. Best Thomas

2nd January 2024, 12:43 PM	#3
tomato77 Member Join Date: Dec 2023 Posts: 14	Thank you, TVV, for your answer. You don't discourage me at all, no problem. That my knife isn't ment to be carried around all day was always obvious and the leather embossing and the ring of your example are definitely very similar. What strikes me as odd are two facts: I've never ever seen a second example of my blade in 20 years of looking for it. That's quite a unique souvenir. And the blade is definitely quite well made. I got one of those examples that you've shown here - though without this intricate embossing - and totally agree that the blade it just a cheap piece of metal as it is the case with several north african knifes I've seen and/or own. This knife though got indeed a pretty well made forged blade and is quite sharp. Best Thomas