Post Medieval Iron Kidney Dagger with Replacement Handle and Sheath

15TH CENTURY A.D. AND LATER

14 3/8 in. (229 grams, 36.5 cm long).

The tapering blade with a single cutting edge; replica leather scabbard decorated with 'fleur de lys' and wooden handle with bulbous guard and pommel. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From the collection of the famous author, writer and speaker, Gordon Bailey, Essex, UK; formed since 1968.

Literature

Cf. Mills, N., Medieval Artefacts, Witham, 2003, p.95, for a similar 15th century specimen of ballock-kidney dagger with a bone handle.

Footnotes

The term 'ballock dagger' was used in medieval times to describe a dagger with a grip bearing a considerable resemblance to a phallic symbol. It was also called 'kidney dagger' during the Victorian times. The constant characteristic is the presence of two roundish and symmetrical bulbs at the guard, with the grip itself emerging upward between them and flaring slightly towards the top, sometimes being surmounted by a cap.

CONDITION

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LOT 2021