A Chinese Kuomintang Army Officer's Dagger

Measuring 420 mm in length with the scabbard on, nickel-plated steel blade, magnetic, fuller in the middle of the blade on both sides, with dull edges and having had the tip broken off, exhibiting the usual in and out runner marks and scattered surface wear, measuring 247 mm in length and rating very fine. Brass crossguard and ferrule, the latter held in place by a screw on the reverse, pitting evident on the reverse of the crossguard, the handle in faux tortoise shell and wrapped in eight rows of twisted wire, bronze plates on either side illustrating plum blossoms flanking the Republican sun insignia with crossed flags of the Kuomintang and the Republic at the pommel end, a Republic sun insignia on the pommel's cap with denting present. The scabbard with a silvered steel body, magnetic, the u-shaped finial, locket and throat in bronze, both illustrating the Republican sun insignia on both sides and incorporating ornate half-moon shaped patterns. Leather frog has two 10 mm wide straps affixed via a single rivet each, each strap with a buckle and a single row of three holes for length adjustment, the body of the scabbard exhibiting a small dent in the mid portion and overall surface wear, the leather frog and straps exhibiting crazing and wear from active use. Very fine.

Footnote: The Kuomintang is a Chinese political party that ruled China from 1927 to 1948 and then moved to Taiwan. The name translates as "China's National People's Party" and was historically referred to as the Chinese Nationalists. The Party was initially founded on August 25, 1912, by Sun Yat-sen but dissolved in November 1913. It reformed on October 10th 1919, again led by Sun Yat-sen, and became the ruling party in China. After Sun's death, the party was dominated from 1927 to 1975 by Chiang Kai-shek. Though the KMT lost the civil war with the Communist Party of China in 1949, the party took control of Taiwan and remains a major political party of the Republic of China based in Taiwan.