Rare and beautiful 19th Century Albacete dagger circa 1860.
This ornate dagger was made in the mid to late 19th century in Albacete, Spain. Owing to their smaller size and slim profile, this type of knife was easily concealed, and earned the nicknames, “Prostitute’s Dagger” and “Gambler’s Dagger.”
The 233mm double-edged blade is of flattened diamond section form. The hand-forged blade is decorated with piercings along the medial ridge, the larger being inlaid with brass. The pierced decoration is surrounded by an intricate pattern of punched dots.
The blade is in good condition with minor age related patches of tarnish.
The elongated diamond crosspiece is made of iron and the hilt is brass and bone. The brass is inlaid with a pattern of copper dots and has an incised zigzag pattern.
The total length of the dagger is 324mm.
The dagger is complete with its original tooled brass scabbard. The dagger and scabbard are in very good condition.
This is a rare and interesting dagger, not often encountered.
