I traded for a knife out of Argentina made about 10 years ago that cost $200 American dollars then. Blade is deeply stamped/etched much like a Randall with the words "Mission" and below that "Argentina". Large Goucho style knife much like a chef's knife, blade 12-13 inches long, stag handles, seems to be hammer forged, great sheath made to wear with a sash not a belt. This is one impressive knife to me, very light and "quick". Seems to be high quality steel that absolutely takes a razor edge. Any info appreciated as I can find nothing on these knives. Seems to be custom but may be a production type of knife there.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
looking for info. "Mission" Goucho style knife
- Thread starter mes228
- Start date
It's hard to tell without a picture, but the "Mission" word might mean it was made to honor, or close to the region of the spanish catholic missions that existed in southern Brazil and easter/northern Argentina.
The gaucho style knife is in fact a mediterranean dirk with large propotions (most of the time) that was somehow redesigned to make a better choil, usualy shaped as an "S" in Brazil and with a number of diferent shapes in Argentina. That was made to keep your fingers from being cut by the blade, because those knives were heavily used in the field as camp knives.
The Gaucho people were cowboys mostly and it was a region of constant border conflicts between the Brazilians and Argentines untill the late 1800's. The Argentine gaucho and the Brazilian gaucho have some cultural diferences.
Here what's an Argentine gaucho should look like:
And this is how they wear their knives:
The sash like belt is called "guaiaca" and it's got pockets for money and things to help on the daily work and of course to look good.
Argentine gauchos tend to like larger hats and they also like silverwear (sheaths and coins stitched to their belts for instance) than the Brazilian gauchos.
If I had to guess I would say your knife was forged from spring steel and made by an old countryside blacksmith in a semi-productions fashion. But it can be a nice custom work made by a good craftsman as well, it's hard to tell without an image.
Just as an illustration:
This is a modern made gaucho style knife, all in damascus blade with integral bolster. Sheath and pommel are also damascus. It was made an year ago by Brazilian bladesmith Luciano Dorneles.
Hope all this info help a little.
Jeff Velasco
The gaucho style knife is in fact a mediterranean dirk with large propotions (most of the time) that was somehow redesigned to make a better choil, usualy shaped as an "S" in Brazil and with a number of diferent shapes in Argentina. That was made to keep your fingers from being cut by the blade, because those knives were heavily used in the field as camp knives.
The Gaucho people were cowboys mostly and it was a region of constant border conflicts between the Brazilians and Argentines untill the late 1800's. The Argentine gaucho and the Brazilian gaucho have some cultural diferences.
Here what's an Argentine gaucho should look like:
And this is how they wear their knives:
The sash like belt is called "guaiaca" and it's got pockets for money and things to help on the daily work and of course to look good.
Argentine gauchos tend to like larger hats and they also like silverwear (sheaths and coins stitched to their belts for instance) than the Brazilian gauchos.
If I had to guess I would say your knife was forged from spring steel and made by an old countryside blacksmith in a semi-productions fashion. But it can be a nice custom work made by a good craftsman as well, it's hard to tell without an image.
Just as an illustration:
This is a modern made gaucho style knife, all in damascus blade with integral bolster. Sheath and pommel are also damascus. It was made an year ago by Brazilian bladesmith Luciano Dorneles.
Hope all this info help a little.
Jeff Velasco
I've seen Argentine gaucho knives on eBay alot with the Mission stamp. They're quite inexpensive in price. They come from the same Argentinian seller, who sells other brand knives from there too. I'm sure if you check eBay under the search term " gaucho knife" for a few weeks some Mission knives will show up and perhaps the description could also provide some info for the knife you have. Or contact the seller.
I just checked. The seller's name is Argensell.
I just checked. The seller's name is Argensell.
WHOA!!! Totally cosmic! 
I was just reading about the "facon"/gaucho knife in a past Tac. Knives issue last night.
IMHO, while some modern makers try to design the perfect "tactical kitchen" or "outdoors kitchen" knife (some more functional than others; Kevin Wilkins "Ryback" knife for one) the "cuchillo gaucho" design has proven itself for generations, in the kitchen, the plains and in duels!
I was just reading about the "facon"/gaucho knife in a past Tac. Knives issue last night. IMHO, while some modern makers try to design the perfect "tactical kitchen" or "outdoors kitchen" knife (some more functional than others; Kevin Wilkins "Ryback" knife for one) the "cuchillo gaucho" design has proven itself for generations, in the kitchen, the plains and in duels!
This brings something to my memory. Once a forum mate said gaucho knives do look like kitchen cutlery and therefore there was no apeal to him, though, he said, kitchen knives kill more than tactical knives around the world. Possibly because of the passional nature of domestic crimes and because kitchen knives might just be the ultimate domestic available weapon.
Anyway, it's just not quite the case. You have to remember that, until very recently (somewhere in the 1800's) there was no foundry industry in Brazil and many other (if not all) south american countries. So this people had to live on with whatever knives they could get. And the mediterranean dirk was largely available because they were quality cheap kitchen knives. That's how they got the design influence!
But from some time on, companies specialized in importing high quality blades forged in Solingen, Germany (and other places as well) and have the handles put here with the gaucho style. And though those blades still looked like kitchen cutlery, the function have changed for a multi-purposed camp knife that had, as primary functions, chopping light wood for campfire, killing and skinning oxen, preparing barbeque (and a gaucho barbeque couldn't be more far away from the American barbeque) and defending one's self.
In Argentina they have more designs: cutillo, facon and others, and they do have diferences. But the basic gaucho knife is just what's up there.
Jeff Velasco