To have a bunch of dealers want the dagger to be authentic isn't proof..Gaspare and Jim M have said it all,,,I have no technical knowledge either but will add my 2 cents here,,
The very fact that all these "exspurts" sat down and nodded their heads in agreement to this dagger is enough to make me question it.
T Wittman has admitted to swapping scabbards on daggers for a better resale claiming it "standard practice",,,,why would I believe anything he said? These major dealers have an unwritten code of honor among themselves,,to help each other out when it comes to sales,,
These guys are leading/have led the hobby down a treacherous path and I for one am going the other way,, as far as a family member speaking for the piece,,,your joking right?
I work with a guy who brought me a sword his grandpa "had personally picked up from a *** he shot in the Philippines,,,only problem was it was in a shirasaya,,,or whatever,,the *** sword guys told me it was more or less a storage tube for the blade itself and certainly not meant to be carried around in the jungle,,so his story was made up,,,,even though thats the story that has been passed down with gramp's sword..
so in conclusion,,there is no way in this world I'm buying what the big names are selling,,,there refrence books are geared to steer the hobby a certain way, (theres for profits,) and are full of basic rudimentary info,,with lots of fancy pictures but so many sheep take them at thier word and blindly follow them,,,,like a pied piper
