This is a rare and exceptional American Indian Dag Knife attributed to the Crow Indians of Colorado dating to the 19th Century. The piece is from the ex-collection of noted collector Forest Fenn of Santa Fe, New Mexico, later sold in the 1990’s to Ted Levy of Santa Rosa, California. This is a scarce piece as the Crow were not a tribe known to have used or possessed “dag” style knives regularly, likely stolen during battle, from a battlefield by a Crow warrior or by trade. This is a presentation grade knife, sometimes referred to as a Chief’s Grade knife. This is a paired with a Indian brain-tanned buffalo hide and trade clothe sheath with artful Crow beadwork on the front and long, frilly Indian hide fringes off the bottom, a later addition. Collector Fenn noted this as being the only Crow Dag and Sheath he had ever seen. Similar examples can be seen in “Early Knives and Beaded Sheaths of the American Frontier” (1997) and in "Indian Guns, Spears & Shields of the American Frontier (2002) by John Baldwin. Bonham’s Auction House listed a very similar example of Presentation Dag knife in their June 1, 2015, sale which sold for $18,750 and shows the same pattern of manufacture with the elaborate placards and flat grip having a rounded hilt area with flared gripping area which tapered to a round pommel (the knife blade had the same patina as the piece offered in this lot). Sotheby’s Auction House offered a Blackfoot Dag knife that sold for $22,500 that had the same grip pattern and patina blade. The beaver back dag knife shows a solid wood classic high grade dag knife handle with brass placards being supported with brass tacks and adorned with brass tacks. The sheath shows old glass trade seed beads in Cheynne pink, light sky padre blue, chalk white, greasy yellow, greasy green, cobalt and red. Provenance: Ex-Forest Fenn Santa Fe, NM and Ted Levy Santa Rosa, California. The knife is 13 ¾ inches long and the sheath not including the fringes or handle is 10 inches long. Well kept, good condition.