Ronnie Posted August 7, 2018 Share #1 Posted August 7, 2018 A fellow found this and brought it by the office today. It is a very old dagger with the only mark being a cross on the end of the tang or pommel. Obviously it is very rusty and has been laying in the ground for a looonnng time. Could it be from the Civil War. Where it was found was in an area that Forrest came thru. It was also the same area where Hernando Desoto came thru on his trek to the Mississippi River. Which he discovered not far from here. If you look at the point toward the hilt you will notice the blade is shaped like a diamond. It is hard to see that in my photos. Thanks. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted August 7, 2018 Share #2 Posted August 7, 2018 Just a hunch, but I'm wondering if it's not part of something else. Possibly the rest of it rotted away with time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted August 7, 2018 Well sure. I agree. Like maybe it had a leather handle but of course that was long gone. The handle does not appear to be broken. It is an unusual little knife. Thank you very much for your input. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fratlanta Posted August 7, 2018 Share #4 Posted August 7, 2018 does not look like a dagger too me. Could it be some sort of "big" nail or something ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gomorgan Posted August 7, 2018 Share #5 Posted August 7, 2018 It looks very similar to a Harrow spike to me, used in farming and you do loose a spike now and then. Did come out of a field under cultivation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share #6 Posted August 7, 2018 None of the photos of a Harrow Spike had a guard or hilt like this. And they seemed to be a bit larger than this. Thank you for your help but I don’t believe it is a Harrow Spike. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fratlanta Posted August 7, 2018 Share #7 Posted August 7, 2018 looks very similar to these though http://www.westlakeploughparts.co.uk/110013-harrow-spikes-medium.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted August 7, 2018 Share #8 Posted August 7, 2018 None of the photos of a Harrow Spike had a guard or hilt like this. And they seemed to be a bit larger than this. Thank you for your help but I don’t believe it is a Harrow Spike. Ronnie My quandary is that I can say pretty much the same thing when it comes to artifact daggers I've seen. What's being called the guard and tang really don't resemble a dagger much. I'm not saying that establishing anything by it's self. As far as is it a dagger or a harrow spike? I don't know. Seems as likely as one of those two, or still something else so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted August 7, 2018 The photos of the Harrow Spikes have a built in guard, if you can call it that. This thing has a guard that slides on just like a knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted August 7, 2018 Here is a dagger that looks kinda like this thing. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fratlanta Posted August 7, 2018 Share #11 Posted August 7, 2018 Dont think it is very common to have a dagger with the blade as long as the handle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share #12 Posted August 7, 2018 Anything could have happened there. Maybe it was longer and it broke. Who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonmoen Posted August 8, 2018 Share #13 Posted August 8, 2018 It could be a blacksmith forged pike head. The rear section would be driven into a wooden shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 8, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted August 8, 2018 That makes sense vonmoen. Thanks for the help. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted August 8, 2018 Share #15 Posted August 8, 2018 was thinking it a pike possibly as well. Cant see in the photo if its double edge with a spine in the middle of the blade or juts a pointed piece of steel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted August 8, 2018 Share #16 Posted August 8, 2018 THis is a Spanish Pike from the 1500s that was at auction Other examples from the 1600s-1700s from California and Mexico..The item in the case was describes as a knife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 8, 2018 Author Share #17 Posted August 8, 2018 The guard is what makes me think this was actually a knife/dagger at one time Ron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonmoen Posted August 8, 2018 Share #18 Posted August 8, 2018 It could be a dagger, but keep in mind that many pikes made in Georgia at the outbreak of the Civil war had round guards on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted August 8, 2018 Author Share #19 Posted August 8, 2018 Cool. The guard looks just like the one you posted vonmoen. Thanks for the info and the photos. Thanks to Ron also for the pictures. Ronnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted August 8, 2018 Share #20 Posted August 8, 2018 I agree w/ everyone that it could be a pike. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted August 8, 2018 Share #21 Posted August 8, 2018 I think it has a cut above at being a CW era pIke, This is why I was curious if it had a spine or a center ridge visible. Lots of the CW era Confederate pikes and other items were hand forged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horseclover Posted August 8, 2018 Share #22 Posted August 8, 2018 Can we start with some decent pictures? The measurements speak some volumes but what it's saying isn't exactly clear. Try these guys http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/ It is a bit of blind man's bluff and twenty questions. Where exactly, how it was discovered (detector), was anything else found in the area, how deep was it buried, what buildings had been near it, what was the property history, on and on. It could as easily be associated to a Cherokee chief that had battled Prince Madoc Cheers GC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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