Forged Damascus Steel Dagger. Although the sheath appears to be fairly generic, the dagger itself has a curled rear bolster, an S-shaped guard, and is made from a solid piece of Damascus steel, one of the most prized metals in history, suggesting that this was custom-made for someone who loved and used it regularly, particularly due to the lack of a stamp and signs of wear throughout. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 14 1/2 x 3 in. 

#7277 . 

Damascus steel refers to the high carbon crucible steel of the blades of historical swords forged using the wootz process in the Near East, characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water, sometimes in a “ladder” or “rose” pattern. Although the term traces its roots to the medieval city of Damascus, Syria, many of the swords (or at least the steel ingots from which they were forged) were imported from Southern India and Iran, and it is unclear where the technique first developed. Damascus steel earned a reputation early on for being tough, resistant to shattering, and capable of being honed to a sharp, resilient edge. This reputation gave rise to many legendary attributes, such as the ability to cut through a rifle barrel or to cut a hair falling across the blade. Although many types of modern steel outperform ancient Damascus alloys, chemical reactions in the production process made the blades extraordinary for their time, as Damascus steel was very flexible and very hard all at once, and consistently outlasted swords and daggers made of other materials for hundreds of years. Due to finer pearlite spacing in the steel, the average yield and tensile strengths were significantly higher than average hot-rolled steel bars, and Damascus steel swords also were supposedly rolled hundreds of times more than usual. However, the true reason for the enormous carbide content that formed their recognizable patterns remains a mystery, and modern steelmakers and metallurgists have studied medieval Damascus steel extensively, developing theories on how it was made and as to why its use died out by the late 19th Century. Modern reproductions can use the term “Damascene” or call themselves “Damascus steel,” and many use similar techniques of lamination, banding, and patterning, although scientists and archaeologists continue to attempt to reverse-engineer the original material and process.

Commensurate with age.