MID 19th CENT BRITISH NAVAL DIRK & SCABBARD NOT PRISTINE STILL PRETTY FREE SHIP!

Description

MID 19th CENTURY BRITISH NAVAL DIRK & SCABBARD
NOT PRISTINE STILL PRETTY
FREE SHIPPING!
Please bear with me - long description and story here but info you need to have;
First, condition;
this dirk has been modified for some unknown reason, apparently during it's time of use. The acorn finials at the ends of the guard have been removed (
maybe because they snagged on stuff?)
. There are file marks on the guard. The little latch on the scabbard is MIA. The dirk shows A LOT of wear - etching is almost gone (too bad because the makers name and address are etched into the ricasso but not readable). The fact that it's etched and not engraved places it mid-19th century. Later ones are engraved. The brass scabbard tip is pushed in not allowing the dirk blade to completely seat into the scabbard. The sharkskin grip shows normal wear but is dirty and except for a 1/2" chip out of the obverse side is all there. You can see a bright blue green spot in the photos- that's just verdigris in a hole for the scabbard latch. BUT...she's still a pretty little thing. Obviously won't appeal to the purists but a pretty decent display example for the $. A pristine example would run you 00 and up.
PLEASE NOTE: I HAVE INCLUDED A PHOTO OF A SIMILAR DIRK IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THAT DIRK IS NOT FOR SALE HERE- IT IS ONLY FOR REFERENCE!
Now, the story;
I purchased this dirk and scabbard some years back from an Ebay seller. Somehow it seems EVERY ONE of his military items are identified to some illustrious figure. This one is no exception. His story (and it's fairly detailed) was that it belonged to a Confederate Naval Lieutenant who was killed at the Battle of Mobile Bay. The guy
did exist
and took a direct hit from a 13" shell. But it's easy enough to tag a name to a relic which doesn't account for much without solid ties. His claim of a solid tie is a letter from the family stating that the dirk had been owned by him and why they were selling it.
I CONSIDER THE ENTIRE STORY TO BE 100% BS!!
And here's why; (there's a whole packet of documents with this and I'll include it to the buyer) but if you compare the dealer's hand signed receipt and the signature on the family letter-
they're the same!!.
Now I never really cared much about that. I didn't buy it for the ID. I bought it for what it is. I think it's entirely possible that this dirk did see Confederate Navy service. The British Navy NEVER would have tolerated modifying a very symbolic regulation dirk! It's etched so it's Civil War era at least. And who knows, maybe it really did belong to this fellow and the dealer just filled in some documentation blanks?...
The dirk measures 19" overall length and has a 14-1/2" blade which is 1" wide.
There is an official British Navy regulation pattern number for these dirks but I'm not sure what it is- maybe 1856?
WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT ALTHOUGH I INCLUDE ALL THIS PAPERWORK WITH THE DIRK PLEASE DON'T BUY IT FOR THE ID OR PUT A LOT OF STOCK IN THE STORY UNTIL YOU CAN LOOK INTO IT FOR YOURSELF.
One of the major, nationally recognized dealers is in the process of taking and selling the collection for me but I'm also selling some items on here in the meantime. Many more other relics to be listed soon!
This is my retirement $ so please don't contact me with lowball offers.
Thanks for looking!
ALL SALES FINAL - RETURNS NOT ACCEPTED!!