Old Dagger: What is it?

[BE Mike]

My father and I ran across this in his basement. He can't remember anything about it, but thinks that it could have belonged to my great uncle who served under Pershing in the Mexican Expedition 1916-17. I'd appreciate any information. The sheath is metal and has a leather frog.

 

[warthog]

Looks like a trench knife from WWI or whenever but as to make etcm, hard to say if it doens't have any writing. A lot starte like as bayonets that the soldier spent a bit of time in the machine shop and made into a knife he thought more useful when HtH in a trench ensued.

 

[Leadeye]

Like Wart hog says, it's something likely made up from scratch. Doesn't look like a cut down bayonet of the era. A fine antique that probably has a story to tell.

 

[Roland of Gilead]

Looks like something a pirate would carry. Caribbean not Somali.

 

[Deadeye(+)]

First thing that came to my mind was military knife. Not sure though. Looks like a rough custom job. Sheath looks definitely military. Interesting piece

 

[printcraft]

Somebody get this guy on the phone.............

 

[Leadeye]

He'll just call a friend.

 

[printcraft]

He'll just call a friend.

He has a friend who is an expert on friends.

 

[warthog]

Well, like I said, it is likely a knive created for the express purpose of fighting in the trenches. I have a few of this sort of knife handed down to me from Uncles who fought and both made them and took a few home by virtue of winning, They are cool, especially if you can learn more about it from the person who made it and carried it.

Maybe This guy can help since he both collects and replicates this kind of thing, maybe send him a picture?

http://plowshareforgeknives.blogspot.com/

 

[BE Mike]

Thanks for the replies. I now think that this is actually a factory made knife from WWI. I believe it is a Austro-Hungarian Sturmmesser model 1917 trench knife. I don't believe that the leather frog is original to the sheath but don't know the origin. Any ideas on the frog?

 

[BE Mike]

After getting a little more information, I started digging further. The frog appears to have been adapted for the dagger sheath from a French Lebel Model 1886 bayonet frog. The frog was probably captured by the Austro-Hungarian soldier and used it to replace his leather strap. I wonder if some Doughboy brought it back to the states after capturing it? This is an interesting piece, but we can't put any family history with it. My father has no recollection as to how he got it.