I offer for sale a superb 16th century (certainly not later than very early 17th century), Northern European 'Left Hand' parrying dagger, the style of which suggests early to mid 1500's.
 
The 'Left Hand dagger' was a category of earlier and simple small handheld weapons used throughout Europe in the 1500's in conjunction with a sword such as the Rapier. The dagger was held in the left hand and used defensively as the name suggests to block or parry an opponent's blows with the sword. Parrying daggers were a development from the earlier Quillon dagger, similar in shape, but with stronger quillon bars and often incorporating extra defences such as an "Anneau" or side ring guard situated at the quillon block.
 
This simpler style of left hand dagger was to be replaced in the early 1600's by the much larger and longer form of Parrying dagger known by the French as the "Main-gauche" or Sail dagger due to it's sail shaped hand guard. 
 
So to details of this rare and superb example of the earlier form of parrying dagger:
 
The flattened diamond cross-section, hollow ground blade measures 1 inch or 2.5 cm across at the blade forte and  9 1/4 inches or 23.5 cm in length. The overall length of the dagger is 14 inches or 36 cm. The blade has a lovely triple fullered ricasso that shows some really lovely period craftsmanship. It the characteristic short, ring turned cross-guard with spherical knop finials and a small defensive side ring guard, or Anneau. A typical spherical pommel and spirally fluted, wire wrapped grip with 'Turks head bindings.
 
Altogether, a very rare surviving and superb example of this type of 1500's parrying dagger.