Hi Mervyn
Sorry about the delay in my response , Yes Knives are a particular area I am interested in I have one in my collection that was carried by a lancers officer that was badly wounded in a skirmish at Wittes Drift during the Boer war. Do you know anything of this exchange or was it to small to have been documented . As for the Case It just doesn't seem right it looks quite contemporary unless it has some thing to support its inferred age claim. and as for the mention of a high murder rate in your country that's probably more down to Kitchen knives or cheap imports than collectors knives.
Regards