African Dagger with Copper – Wrapped Scabbard

This is an attractive knife that measures 18 7/8” overall with a 15 5/8” straight, double-edged blade with spearpoint tip and full-length double fullers. The blade has a dark patina within the fullers, and bright gray along the remainder and edges. The short wooden hilt is hourglass-shaped, and quite narrow in the middle (less than 1/2” in diameter), and has an exposed tang at the pommel. The wooden scabbard is tightly bound by copper wire in two styles: braided near the throat, simple wrap along the body, with a wide band of braided, heavier gauge wire about midway down. There is a single projection near the throat for a thong, or loop (it is broken at the tip, but it is an old break). The specific country of origin is unknown, but the dagger does bear many similarities to the “Bakatwa” daggers of what is now Zimbabwe.