China, Republic. A Kuomintang Army Officer's Dagger, C.1935

Measuring 385 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 a sharp tip, exhibiting the usual in and out runner marks and scattered surface wear, with surface rust evident near the tip on the obverse, the blade measuring 232 mm in length, rating near very fine, the dagger itself measuring 352 mm. Brass crossguard and ferrule, the latter held in place by a screw on the reverse, the handle in faux tortoise shell and wrapped in eight rows of twisted wire, bronze plates on either side illustrating three plum blossoms with the Republican insignia at the pommel end, a narcissus on the pommel's cap. The scabbard with a silvered steel body, magnetic, the u-shaped finial, locket and throat in bronze, both illustrating plum blossoms on both sides and incorporating ornate patterns, exhibiting scattered surface rust on the silvered body, the scabbard measuring 267 mm. Near 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.