Medieval Iron Knives Leaf Blade Twisted Tang Dagger Spear Point Italy Antique
A rare opportunity to acquire a group of three authentic medieval iron knife blades offered together as a single lot. These pieces are presented in found, uncleaned condition, retaining their original excavated surface and natural patina developed over centuries. Two display the characteristic red-brown iron oxide corrosion of long-buried iron, while the third has developed a darker, more stable surface. All three feature the classic leaf-shaped blade form with narrow tangs typical of medieval European knives, broadly datable to the 10th–15th centuries. The rightmost example displays a notably long twisted tang, an appealing detail seen on finer medieval ironwork of the period.
These items are sold as-is and would make an excellent display grouping or study lot for the serious collector of medieval arms and militaria.
Provenance:
These items come from two lifetime collections assembled by United States Army soldiers stationed in Italy following World War II. Post-war Italy was economically devastated, and local families — drawing on their own personal collections — were selling historical items to make ends meet. These soldiers bought extensively during their time there and shipped the items back to the United States. They returned to Italy several years later to buy more, having developed a deep passion for collecting historical artifacts.
The collections passed from the soldiers to their sons, and then on to their grandsons. The items were subsequently purchased directly from one of those grandsons.
These pieces left Italy in the late 1940s to early 1950s, well before the 1970 UNESCO Convention on cultural property
Condition: Uncleaned, as-found. Active corrosion present on two pieces. The third is stable.
selling as pictured.
more than welcome to pick up at shop in butler pa & save shipping.
02326 jy