Subject: 'mountain man' fur trapper
Culture: frontier American
Setting: fur trade, western America early-mid 19thc
According to the seller at Mantiques, this dagger was purchased together with several old knives from an estate sale with no provenance. It looks genuinely old, with nice stable patina, though how old exactly is unclear.
The size and shape of the blade are comparable to the American frontier daggers known as Arkansas toothpicks, so I am treating it as such. The ricasso narrows to give the appearance of a tanged lance point, which may be what it was originally. But even if so, its conversion to a dagger would have occurred long ago, as the blade, guard, and wood grips all seem to have aged together.
This Arkansas toothpick is unique in having a disc hand guard. The disc resembles those on fencing foils but is turned the opposite way, with the concave side facing outward toward the blade. Not much more can be said about this dagger with certainty. Regardless, it's an excellent functional weapon with solid construction and good weight and balance.
Lastly, as a point of pure amusement, I and others notice a strong resemblance to Deadpool's mask in the discoloration around two of the tang pins.
I found this at an antique shop, although nothing suggests that it's an antique itself. Still, it has blade dimensions that put it comfortably in the class of American frontier daggers called Arkansas toothpicks. Its mounting -- antler hilt and fur-wrapped scabbard -- further reinforces its wilderness associations.
I hate fur products, and would not have bought such a knife directly from its maker because I refuse to support the fur business. But this dagger seems already to have passed through a few hands before arriving at the antique shop, whose seller no longer knew its origin. I may eventually remove the fur from the scabbard because I dislike it intensely, and don't want to be mistaken as supporting the contemporary fur trade.
Despite its appearance, the hilt isn't uncomfortable to handle as a dagger. The tines themselves provide a secondary weapon in addition to the blade.
