Antique Camel Whip With Palm Wood/Silver Handle And Concealed Meteorite Dagger

Description

Antique Camel Whip W/Palm Wood/Silver Handle And Concealed Meteorite Dagger
This lot consists of an antique or ancient camel whip with a concealed dagger.
The dagger blade was presented by a reputable dealer at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show as being crafted from iron meteorite metal. The palm wood handle is encased in hand-hammered silver with some intricate filigree work.
The whip appears to be made from natural braided fibers.
A friend of mine named, Mark purchased this whip at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in 2004.
He spent all of his money for the show on this item on the very first day.
I ran into him a couple of days later.
He could hardly wait to show me this item thinking that I would be interested in it since I dealt in meteorites and collected artifacts at that period in time.
I was afraid that he may have been taken advantage of until he told who he purchased it from.
I had purchased shipwreck items from the same dealer in previous years whose room was at the Ramada Inn and they all turned out to be authentic.
Mark came to the show wanting to acquire opals but spent all of his funds on this item.
I felt sorry for him, since he was not wealthy by any means, so I ended up purchasing it from him.
He was the kind of person that was comfortable spending months in the Mohave Desert searching for meteorites which he was successful at.
I remember him coming straight out from the desert to our hotel room with his boots and jeans ducted taped together.
He was the true definition of a desert rat, more at home in the field than in public.
I am only writing this since it is now a part of this items history.
I will provide Mark’s whole name and field moniker to whoever acquires it.
He was somewhat of a legend in the meteorite world and old-timers will recognize his name immediately.
My initial thoughts were that it was an antique tourist trade piece modeled after a 13
th
century whip.
I have run across a few early to mid-20th century pieces that were made for the tourist market and sold in street shops in the Middle East.
The old tourist pieces now often fetch over 0.00 and a few are very convincing.
It was conveyed to me that tin was used in place of silver, handles were never made of palm wood and the tourist trade pieces never exhibit use wear.
This all bodes well that the piece offered here is not a tourist trade example.
I made a few observations when examining the piece.
There appears to be a Widmanstatten pattern on the iron blade which would indicate that it was crafted from meteoritic metal.
It may be wishful thinking on my part but the lines clearly cross each other at angles.
It could have been ground this way but what are the chances that an early craftsman would think of doing such a thing.
The patina is real but it appears to be in too good of condition to be from the 13
th
century.
Perhaps the dry conditions in the Middle East preserved it well.
There is some use wear, the whip is stiff from dehydration, the silver ornamentation is loose and the oxidized blade is also loose in the handle.
Please see images to judge condition for yourself.
I will start this rare item out at just 0.00 which is less than the price it would realize as a tourist trade piece and see what happens.
This is far below what I paid for it.
I am in the process of clearing out items since they are costing me thousands each year to warehouse.
I can only devote a certain amount of time to each item.
I have not furthered my research on this item for over 16 years so it is time to let it go.
Perhaps you can devote the time to properly study it and end up with a fantastic treasure.
Shipping:
Free USPS Priority Mail with insurance in the US.
.00 USPS Priority Mail
International shipping for those overseas.
I combine shipping on multiple items whenever possible.