I simply took the words for what they say : "some" blades were etched "Viva Espanã", which is just a fake imho*. Render unto Ceasar...
* At least that's what I'll keep on believing until I see one...
1) No, it's not fake, and may I say that's a pretty serious accusation to throw around before even Googling the matter. Below is a picture of a historical French-made example, etched, precisely, with the phrase
Viva España. I've also heard of similar pieces (made in France) with other similar Spanish phrases such as
Viva la República and
Dios y Patria.
2) Even if the quote
had been wrong (which it wasn't, as I just showed you), it still
nowhere says or implies that the blades in question couldn't have the brand stamped onto them.
Edit: Adding pictures of a few more historical examples below (all of which can, incidentally, be regarded as "ungentlemanlike knives"). Note that all the pages from which these pictures are taken describe the respective items as French-made, except for those of the third and fourth pieces (which feature the phrases
Viva la República and
Dios y Patria on the blade and handle, respectively, and which are also most likely of French manufacture given their construction style). In the case of the very last piece, we can even see very clearly the
stamp of the French maker Beauvoir next to the etching that reads
Toledo. The question of whether these blades were etched in France or Spain remains open.
.
