Multitool.org Forum
Tool Talk => Edged Tools => Topic started by: Ray S on March 20, 2017, 12:26:55 AM
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Posted this on another forum and would really like to find out it's origins. Got it about 40 years ago from a friend of mine who had purchased a very large collection of militaria. There were several knives that did not fit his collection and I wound up with many of them. Have a lot of detail pictures so this will probably take up more than one post.Background is as usual 1 inch(25.4mm)squares.
Double edged blade with deep etching of what looks like a large cat(tiger?)in a semi-crouched position overlaid with a shield that has a radiant cross and what looks like an open hand palm up and topped by a crown. On the reverse is a banner with the words,"Cum Deo Et Manu" running into a square that looks like it may have initials on it and topped by an eagle(?) with it's head facing to it's right.Sometimes the direction a bird's head faces on a design is important.
There is a fancy nickel silver cross guard that is a bit large proportionately for the knife but looks original.
The handle resembles red oak(heavy grain)and is ornately carved featuring flowers,vines,and acorns and diamond shapes inlaid with what look like pieces of bone and one piece of red stone. The pommel looks to made of antler and is carved with a head on view of a large cat's(tiger?)face on two sides.There is a small silver band decorated with 4 diamonds inside a larger diamond between the cross guard and the handle.The knife itself is very light in weight and does not appear to be designed for heavy use.Blade thickness at the guard is just of 1/8th of an inch(.125")
The sheath is not original to the knife but fits it perfectly.
Hopefully someone will recognize the mark.I seem to remember seeing something similar to it but cannot remember where.
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Sorry to say, I have no information about that knife, but it certainly is beautiful.
I hope that someone here knows something they can share because I would like to know about it too!
Def
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I too hope someone knows something about it :tu: That is a very awesome knife from blade to handle :like: All the intricate details are awesome :tu:
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Dont have a clue Ray. The latin motto might be translated as "With God and Hand" ? Maybe someone around here knows some thing about Heraldry and Crest. Might be a clue?
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Cool dagger :tu:
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And with God's Hand
Ray, not many firsts left for Google, but you have one there! :salute:
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Dont have a clue Ray. The latin motto might be translated as "With God and Hand" ? Maybe someone around here knows some thing about Heraldry and Crest. Might be a clue?
That translation may just be spot on;if you look at the shield the two symbols on it are an illuminated cross on the top and an open hand on the bottom. Someone gave me a link to deciphering heraldry but it looks to be a long and tedious read. May have to put this on the back burner for a bit as I am going to be somewhat busy in the next couple weeks.Thanks to all who replied.
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If noone knows here you can try on the big knife forum... Bernard Levine himself occasionally identifies rare knives...
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If noone knows here you can try on the big knife forum... Bernard Levine himself occasionally identifies rare knives...
Not sure what you are referring to as the,"big knife" forum. If you are talking about Blade Forums I believe he stopped posting there a couple of years ago. I met him many years ago at an East Coast knife show when he was doing research at a noted museum in the area and he was slightly,"less than cordial" towards several people.
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A quite wild mix of different hieraldic symbols- definitely a custom, I'd say between 80 and 150 years old. The 19th century saw a huge revival of medieval symbols and fashion, most "medieval" weapons available today stem from this epoque.
Perhaps this dagger was made for one of the different (ominous, oh so powerful and mostly completely superfluos ;-) ) clubs in those days. Germany had (and sadly still has) a lot of "Burschenschaften" (students' clubs), which try to ornate themselves with a lot of symbols, powerful emblems, coat of arms, mottoes and stuff. They'd most certainly love a knife like this!
Tomcat
P.S: the German town "Schwäbisch Hall" has both hand and cross in its coat of arms, but in a different layout...)
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If noone knows here you can try on the big knife forum... Bernard Levine himself occasionally identifies rare knives...
Not sure what you are referring to as the,"big knife" forum. If you are talking about Blade Forums I believe he stopped posting there a couple of years ago. I met him many years ago at an East Coast knife show when he was doing research at a noted museum in the area and he was slightly,"less than cordial" towards several people.
Yup but very knowledgeable people still post on Levines subforum. Worth giving it a shot.