Item: ONJR25MAMD073
Original U.S. War of 1812 Naval Midshipman’s Dirk with Ivory Handle & Engraved Federal Eagle Motif on Scabbard
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. A thrusting weapon, the naval dirk originally functioned as a boarding weapon and as a functional fighting dagger. During the days of sail, midshipmen and officers wore dirks; the daggers gradually evolved into ceremonial weapons and badges of office.This is a prestigious piece of Early American Naval history, a high-quality midshipman’s dirk with a carved ivory grip, a wreath pattern on the bottom of the crossguard, and a lightly-etched blade. The scabbard of this example is the star of the show, however, as it’s been engraved with a glorious Federal Eagle motif, one of the nicest 1812 period engravings we have seen.The dirk sports a 4 13/16” double-sided blade which is very faintly etched with small floral motifs. The blade shows some chipping in the edges, particularly on one side, with some evidence of past oxidation cleaning. The small brass crossguard, which measures 1⅛” across, has lovely wreathwork in the underside, wrapping around the grip. The crossguard is loose, however the blade and hilt are still tight to one-another.The ribbed ivory grip shows tremendous carving work, with 11 ribs in the central ribbing with some spacing to each side, ending in a wider pommel which is carved with an 8-pointed star. The overall length of the dirk is 7⅝”.The 5¾” brass scabbard is tremendously engraved with floral motifs surrounding a Federal eagle with wings extended seated upon a patterned surface. The scabbard has some very minor denting around the mouth, and ends in a lovely acorn-shaped pommel. The scabbard does retain its frog knob, denoting that this would have been attached at the belt. There is heavy wear to the scabbard overall, to be expected from a dirk of this period, but it has a tremendous patina overall.This is a very quality piece which would certainly warrant a high price during the period, and considering how rudimentary engraving normally was, this is really as good as it gets. One of the most lovely pieces of Early American Naval history we’ve ever offered! Comes ready for further research and display.Specifications:Blade Length: 4 13/16"Overall length: 7⅝“Crossguard: 1⅛”Scabbard Length: 5¾"
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