Cleaning Daggers

[Perry Floyd]

I've noticed the majority of dagger collectors like to disassemble their daggers and clean them. You don't see this much in the other specialized fields. Collectors want untouched/uncleaned items and want to leave them that way if possible...
Yet I've noticed the thing with a majority of dagger collectors is they like to buy them unmolested and uncleaned so they can be the one to do it...Sorta like "being the first to rape the virgin".
Why is this more accepted in this field?

[Bob Rodgers]

Perry,

Thios depends on who your talking to. Most collectors do not clean there daggers, but some do.

I think it should be upto the owner, If you notice the clean ones get higher price's when sold.

Also, Corrosion kills the dagger, vice dirt on a sleeve!

[Skipper Greenwade]

For whatever reason, there seem to be two distinct camps in the edged weapons collecting community. I for one would not even think of cleaning a dagger beyond the point necessary to prevent corrosion, rust, etc. from taking their toll on overall condition. I think you will find that to be the case with most of us who have been around a while. I can even remember Tom Wittmann only half-jokingly demanding that the purchaser of a dagger he had for sale - one which had developed the kind of patina most of us will pay extra for - sign an agreement not to clean it!

My theory is that many of the daggers in the older collections were never cleaned or have resided in those collections for so long that they have 'aged' under the right conditions. I don't think there's a jury in the world that would convict a man for "offing" the party responsible for polishing a piece like that (or at least brushing the offender's teeth with Simichrome).

The newer collectors' choices are often limited and devoid of daggers in their untouched state. Consequently, most of what they see available for sale has been cleaned - maybe not recently, but not long enough ago to develop a really nice patina. The ones who can't resist the urge to clean and shine - be they the vet who brought the piece home from "the Big One", the dealer who thinks he's giving the customer what he wants, or the new owner - most likely do so because they simply haven't seen enough of the older, untouched pieces to develop an affinity for them.

There may not be an absolute "right" or "wrong" answer to the debate, and any cleaning that does not remove paint, gilting, plating, etc. really does no lasting harm...bottom line, I guess it's up to the owner to do with each piece as he sees fit. Just don't bring your polishing cloth when you come to visit me!

Have fun!
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