[quote author=Jerry V Lape
Doesn't look like a antique to me. The square washer at the butt looks rather amateurish when it could have been inletted into the handle. Through bolt too long to pull the blade back against the bolster, and the cross guard doesn't fully cover the head of the bolster. Just too many items to think this was a serious piece. The engraving isn't in any older style script. High school project maybe?
Now having said that it will probably be a million dollar antique!
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Jerry I've had similar thoughts to yours. Except , this has some age to it.How much I don't know. The blade has a number of dings and wear marks on it . Some of the writing is missing on the high part of the blade. Ware? There is not enough dirt and grunge under the cross guard for a one hundredfifty year old knife. Perhaps it was taken apart cleaned and put back together. I agree the washer at the butt end doesn't look that great. The phrase amateurish could be applied to it, but also to a lot of the old things we enjoy. Some guns,knifes and powder horns.
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Chris,
The handle is one piece . It looks like a straight grain. I had not thought of the trench art theory before. That would make it old enough to have enough age to make a guy wonder.
Thanks for your replies.
