The Oldest Dagger on the Site

[CBH]

Well it is hard to find anything in my collection that is a rarity on this site , too many amazing collections . And for my 500th post I thought I'd go way back , to the bronze age . I believe the blade is been reattached to the handle , but for 3500 years old not too bad . Hope you all like it .
Cheers

[robin morley]

Very nice, I have a bronze age axe head somewhere that I found on the downs above Newbury.

[big ned]

I hate to say it Chris, but I have serious doubts about this dagger being a genuine piece. Luristan bronze weapons have been heavily faked for decades and the chances of picking up a good one against a bad one are pretty small. The fact that this one is fairly ornate compared to most originals that are plain and utilitarian is also a bit of a concern.

What needs remembering is the blade was cast (not wrought) first. The hilt was then cast on to the blade tang. This was accomplished by inserting the tang end into the mould, or more probably, building the mould around the base of the blade, and then pouring in the molten bronze through the pommel end. The molten metal not only formed the hilt, but it also fused the tang securely in place within the hilt. When finished, the sword seemed to be just one piece.

Looking at yours, there is a clear horizontal demarcation line between the blade and the handle. It's not a crack imo, it's a clean line that shows that the blade was not cast into the handle, it's been put into a pre cast handle and either glued,brazed or welded in. That's how these are faked. The bronzesmiths from the ancient region of Luristan were noted as master craftsmen, especially of weapons, and this piece if genuine would have been fused together with the greatest of skill, making it appear a single piece.

Yet this does not appear to be the case here. The finished product is poor in quality of finish, as are nearly all fakes of everything imo, and not what one would expect from a genuine bronze age crafted piece. Imagine how much these things were worth then, more than many people's yearly income, or more, and the finish would have to be excellent. It just doesn't cut the mustard for me i'm afraid, but that's just my opinion, others may think, or even know unequivocally, differently.

I'm not even going to comment on the COA, we've all seen them in this game and know their worth.

Sorry to be negative mate, but let's see if others have an opinion, this is just mine.

Regards, Ned.

[Glenn66]

I hope it is genuine, that would be a really cool addition to a collection!

[CBH]

Here are a couple of close up shots , I thought the blade was just repaired . I have had a collector ( who has several bronze age items ) look at it and like it . I believed he wanted to purchase it . But I'm not an expert on such matters . Hope it proves to be good . Thanks