Huge Old Knife - CSA / Civil War Bowie?

[Mr. Scratch]

Still clearing out a collector's estate. 

This came labeled as "CSA Bowie". That was it. 

Setting aside that it doesn't have the clipped-point I would expect of a proper Bowie knife, does this have any chance of being what the guy thought it was?

It is gigantic and heavy. Overall about 18" long, the blade is about 13.5" measured straight from where the hilt would be to point (much longer if measured along the edge). Blade is about 4.5mm thick. The patina is black, almost glassy blue-black along the edge. Similar to the patina I've seen on late-medieval and Renaissance European weapons where a rust patina has slowly developed from ambient moisture. Irregularities of the edge would suggest that it is hand-made. I'm guessing the glass-like hardness of the edge might indicate it was properly tempered, and not just ground to shape and sent out the door. The tang has no holes in it; I can't understand how this was hafted, unless it was just leather-wrapped, or maybe stacked leather fit over the tang? 

The angle of the handle isn't to my personal preference, but otherwise it doesn't appear to be a badly-made knife. The shape and heaviness remind me of a short cutlass.

Does anyone have any suggestions on this one?

 

[VMI88]

I can't say that I've ever seen a Confederate knife shaped like that but anything is possible.  Without provenance though you can't say anything more than that it's an old handmade knife blade.

[Mr. Scratch]

Hunting around online,  I've found a few images of D-guard knives of this general type, purportedly of the period. But if they are genuine, it seems clear by how few they are that this style was not a standard one.


I know next to nothing about this subject. I just want to check in here to make sure I don't make a mistake. It would be a shame if later down the road I shrugged this off as a later-made shop project, had it rehandled and modified, only for someone to say "You idiot, that knife was from the Nashville Plow Works! You've just ruined a $4K knife!" or somesuch.

On one of my Japanese sword groups, we had a guy show up with his beautiful and ancient Koto tachi sword, having scrubbed the rust off the tang with vinegar and a wire brush so the signature would be better visible. I don't want to be that guy. 

 

[kaotikross]

I'm no expert but there's a lot of "belly" to that knife, I think it has some age but it looks more like a butcher's tool or whaling/fishery knife in my opinion. It's possible there was a metal band holding on a wooden press-fit handle, as some knives are still made today and that part simply came off due to age and rust. Without some kind of marking present there's really no way to be sure what it is.