Found Chinese Dagger

[Relichunter1]

Well it's been a while since I last posted but the other day I found an interesting piece on a friends property. Brent has a property that has some history with Chinese miners. Well I set out and just wandered at first to locate a camp site, it took me about 30 minutes to find what I believed was a Chinese camp. I found many opium cans, square nails, and other objects. The one that really got the heart pumping was a knife blade that broke off of I presumed a knife or short sword. I finished the day with a lot of things usually found in an old mining camp. The next day, I saw Brent in town and he showed me what he found yesterday after I left the area I was searching. He found the other piece of the puzzle. It looks to me like an early Chinese knife or dagger. The handle is very heavy, may be brass or copper.

 

[chukers]

interesting...

 

[Roland58]

Very nice, indeed! Was there anything left in the cans??

 

[spitfire55]

 

[steelheadwill]

Great Find!

 

[pepperj]

Very cool looking piece.

 

[Relichunter1]

Very nice, indeed! Was there anything left in the cans??

Those Chinese sure smoked a lot of that stuff. . Because I found a whole lot of opium cans...all empty . .

 

[acevillav]

Did you find any pipes or " snuff " bottles ? Sounds like a way cool place to hunt.

 

[The Master Chief]

Otstanding find.

 

[Pull_tab_mike]

could you post a few pics from the side angle..................thanks

 

[Skelly607]

Very sweet!

 

[Tennessee Treasure Hunter]

 

[Relichunter1]

could you post a few pics from the side angle..................thanks

Here you go ....can't find anything on the net, any info would be great! This early Chinese miners dagger/knife would look nice if restored.

 

[RW]

Very nice! What does an opium can look like?

 

[Relichunter1]

Very nice! What does an opium can look like?

Heres the Chinese opium cans I usually find. They appear to be made of thin sheet copper or brass. The symbols are opium manufatureres stamp of good fortune/luck. Took it to China Town San Fransico and was told by a Chinese man.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

That is one beautiful find Relichunter1!
I've done some searching and here's what I found . . .

Chinese Swords

"There were two basic types of straight bladed swords used in China, one is fairly long and heavy, known as the 'Wu Jian' or "Martial Sword". The other was substantially lighter and called a 'Wen Jian' or Scholar's Sword and was primarily carried for personal self defense. The blade of the Wu Jian was made of steel with a spring temper and measured 30" long by 11/2" wide. For cutting and slashing, both edges were kept quite sharp and terminated in a strong, useful point for stabbing. The traditionally styled guard and pommel were cast out of thick sturdy brass and fit snugly on a stout Rosewood handle that was highly decorative".

Cheers,
Dave

 

[fishkiller41]

Looks like the knife/dagger may have been a "switchblade" or "assisted opening" type knife.COOL FIND!!

Jeff

 

[kuger]

Very nice! What does an opium can look like?

Heres the Chinese opium cans I usually find. They appear to be made of thin sheet copper or brass. The symbols are opium manufatureres stamp of good fortune/luck. Took it to China Town San Fransico and was told by a Chinese man.

Yes,they are stamped brass,and yes the characters represent the province and Manufacturer from which they originated.I have a data base some where of them

 

[kuger]

Did you find any pipes or " snuff " bottles ? Sounds like a way cool place to hunt.

"OPIUM BOTTLES",actually are from a much later period and were not pure opium,but rather a medicine which contained a small amount of opium.Pure opium is a tar like sbstance.These cans contained opium that was smoked.....a lot!!