southern civil war fighting knife? maybe,,,,,,,,,,,

[olskool]

i posted this knife on here a while back, i believed it to be a southern fighting knife from the civil war. with help from a couple of friends i have had it authenticated. it was taken to the civil war relic show near me in Charleston SC and authenticated by 2 knife experts of knives of that time period. then another friend on this forum showed the photos to another expert and he said it was most likely from 1840-1860s the story i got was it was found in a 200 year old barn or building in Kentucky. you can see in the blade where it was most likley made from and old file. and it has a antler handle, oh if all the old things could talk,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Notchy Bob]

I remember when you posted that knife before. It prompted a lively discussion. It's good to see it again, especially knowing it has been authenticated.

Thanks for the update!

Notchy Bob

 

[olskool]

there again it comes down to opinion. if it is a fake it is a good one i think. but then again when it comes to blades i just like them, i am no expert on them. either way it is cool,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[user 48679]

As Crocodile Dundee once said: "THAT'S a knife ! ! "

 

[Artificer]

With sincere respect to you and the two unnamed knife experts, I politely disagree. It has all the hallmarks of a repro and no signs of natural aging beyond maybe 25 to 50 years at most.

Still, it is an interesting large knife.

Gus

 

[swamperkk]

you are lucky to find a knife in great shape,,,weather its very old or just old who cares,,its a nice find

 

[Eterry]

I found 2 knives in an old barn, built in the early 1900s. Neither one was in as good condition as yours.

I'd like to know when your knife was found, and where specifically in the barn was it found. It is exceptionally clean to have weathered 150+ years.

Either way it is a nice blade, but as the saying goes, I'd search for more light.

 

[French Colonial]

Not to pop your bubble, but.....lets take a critical look.
What kind of preservative was on that blade to keep it from rusting, 100 years old with no sign of use and no pitting on the blade. That was some very very good grease. I would expect to see some pits in a knife half that age.
If it was used it might be pit free but it would have been sharpened, where are the signs of the grindstone.
Laid in a barn but the bugs and rodents didn't chew on the handle, very kind of them.
I know of several knife makers that could age a knife to look like that and look even older (that cross guard is also a little suspect)
Regardless, it IS a nice looking knife but I seriously doubt if it has any age on it to speak of, but that is no reason not to enjoy using it.
Ducking now for the incoming.

 

[swamperkk]

this knife in a barn,,,was it covered with something,,,the rats or squirrels would have eaten the handle away my thought, all and all it is a good looking knife

 

[olskool]

Not to pop your bubble, but.....lets take a critical look.
What kind of preservative was on that blade to keep it from rusting, 100 years old with no sign of use and no pitting on the blade. That was some very very good grease. I would expect to see some pits in a knife half that age.
If it was used it might be pit free but it would have been sharpened, where are the signs of the grindstone.
Laid in a barn but the bugs and rodents didn't chew on the handle, very kind of them.
I know of several knife makers that could age a knife to look like that and look even older (that cross guard is also a little suspect)
Regardless, it IS a nice looking knife but I seriously doubt if it has any age on it to speak of, but that is no reason not to enjoy using it.
Ducking now for the incoming.

not busting my bubble brother. i agree, if something looks to good to be true it probably is! but as i said i am no expert on blades, i just like them. but some folks that claim to know said it looked real to them, and they held it in there hands and didn't go by photos. either way it is cool,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[user 49399]

Definitely a cool knife either way. If it were mine I’d have to pair it with an appropriate muzzleloader and put it to work.

 

[French Colonial]

Those guys that claim to know can find that cross guard at TOTW, and the black gunk can easily be made with a few items if your interested. Bleach can be used to age a blade and that would have helped that one. I seriously question the claim to know guys credentials and if they do not know their stuff, doesn't matter how long they held it.
Go look at some knives made by Jack Hubbard, Hershel House etc. and see what guys who know how to age stuff can make a knife look old.
Again, not trying to be a downer, but it is just not right.

And again, that is no reason not to enjoy it.

 

[olskool]

if its not right, its not right. in some ways i am glad if it ain't an authentic piece. now i can use it ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Artificer]

if its not right, its not right. in some ways i am glad if it ain't an authentic piece. now i can use it ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

There you GO!!!!

Use it and enjoy it!

Gus

 

[user 49399]

I’d use it either way. That’s what it was made for no matter when it was made. A good knife is a good knife.

 

[Norsk]

It might have been in a drawer in a House or secreted somewhere before it made it to the Barn?

I bought a couple of Daggers from a Old Woman with things to sell in Romainia back in 99. I bought them because they looked old and I liked them,$5 the pair. When I returned to London I showed them to a renown Antique dealer who held them for a while as one of his clients was an expert in such things. In his expert opinion the Daggers dated from the early 16th Century .

Neither has seen much use,who knows where and how they were stored.

 

[olskool]

yea when you look at this knife up close and under a magnifier it looks the part. but i am no expert. i will say this it came from a man who was a knife dealer for 30 years, he claimed it was real, and everybody else that has held it in there hand said it was real. only people that has seen a photo and has not claimed to be an expert said it was fake. so who knows,,,,,,,,,,

 

[French Colonial]

Here is how you find out, take it to the next CLA show, show it to Jack Hubbard, Frank House, Mel Hankla or the Risers.
If its the real deal they will offer you a sum of money that is in at least the four figures. Then you will know.

 

[bobthemotorcycle]

For this knife to be in this good of shape it would have to be 100% iron or slag iron as it has no carbon to rust.

 

[LRB]

For this knife to be in this good of shape it would have to be 100% iron or slag iron as it has no carbon to rust.

Mmmm, rust is an iron oxide. Carbon has nothing to do with rust. It is not what makes iron form rust. Oxygen and neglect cause iron and steel to rust.