Seriousy! I'd be researching the history of that property. My bet is that it's been there since the late 1700's or early 1800's. Being 3' below the surface is a LONG time. Unless it was lost/dropped into a privy that was on that spot. A pocket of sand? Was it otherwise surrounded by a different type of soil? A fascinating knife!
Jack and AZman.
As I mentioned I thought for years that the knife was an early trade knife because of the rocker engraving which was found on early trade silver and other metal trade pieces. (see silver pin). At the time I lived on Lake Simcoe which had been surveyed by 1792 and was a First Nations area and a MAJOR Trading area for very early First Nations peoples. A few years after my find a site was discovered about 15 miles away that was a trade centre. The initial dig found a set of obsidian spear points from California another find was a Florida Alligator effigy Pipe. It is thought that the site was the northern end of the Mississippi trade route.
Now that I know what the knifes origin is I doubt it has any connection to early trade or travel ;-(((
My house was an old turn of the century 1905 built cottage, in the early 50s or late 40s the cottage had a foundation put under it. I'm pretty sure the sand was dumped around the foundation for drainage. In the early 50s it was mainly Italian workers who did cement work. While I can't imagine anyone carrying an 18th century knife, I figure it had to have been dropped by a workman building the foundation.
BTW, between the steel liners and the brass covers there is a layer of horn.
"Did Bernie call that Italian knife a Stivale, Robin?? "
Bernard didn't use that name Charlie but someone contacted me about the knife and I believe they called it a Stivale.
Best regards
Robin
