IXL Wostenholm folding hunter...can anyone date this for me?

[jdsmith02115]

I got this over a year ago it was in very rough shape , so the person to whom it belonged just gave it to me.
Some gentle cleaning and restorative care brought it back almost 100% . It's almost 11" open, blade is 5.75"
I was very careful not to remove anything that would obscure it's provenance( nicks, dents, normal wear and tear)
The lock-up is bank-vault tight and the blade edge is razor sharp, stag not chipped or cracked and still very little if any shrinkage.Can any of you experts tell me more?

[knife7knut]

Welcome to the forums JD! Before I answer I have to ask:Are you the knifemaker J.D.Smith from Boston? The 02115 sure looks like a Boston Zip code.If so;you probably won't remember but I met you at one of the NCCA shows many years ago.I had a knife made by Jim Turecek and had brought in a 17th century jambiya for Jim to look at.You also looked at it and liked it a lot. I have always admired your knives and wish that I could afford one.
As for the Wostenholm;that is an early 1900's pattern that was also widely made in Germany.Very collectible.

[jdsmith02115]

Yup,Thas me.
So, that piece is over a 100 years old and still in this kinda condition!!
Possible value?

[knife7knut]

Yup,Thas me.
So, that piece is over a 100 years old and still in this kinda condition!!
Possible value?

Glad to meet you again! As to value that is usually a pretty subjective thing.A lot of people on this site say that a good indicator of current value is to check on e-Bay for similar items that have sold there.I never figured out how to do that so you might want to pose that on the Q&A forum here.
I looked in Bernard Levine's 2nd knife guide(1985 date)and if you have a copy of it check on page 276 and you will see an almost identical one made by Henckels in the 1930's.He gave a value(mint example of course)of $1,200 for the Damascus and engraved version and $500 for a plain one.
Of course values go up and down for any number of reasons but judging from the pictures you posted that has to be worth at least $300 in my opinion.
I probably won't be posting anymore because my computer service was supposed to end on Dec.31st but for some reason it is still functioning.
I grew up in the Boston area(Saugus)and occasionally visit there(my son lives in Lowell).If I ever get to Boston again I'll buy you a coffee.

Sincerely
Ray Smith

[Paladin]

The 'Washington Works' stamp may make the knife a little older than earlier stated. Levine says this mark dates to mid-1800s (1848to about 1870). I have to say that the design does not look that old to me so I am kinda unsure about using the stamp to date the knife. It'll be interesting to see what the rest of the guys have to say about the date. As to values, the poor economy seems to have hurt this brand as it has most brands.
By the way, to the forum and we'll look forward to getting a look at your knives. Thanks for posting this one.

Ray

EDIT: Can you tell us what the blade etch says? I can see HUNTER but I can't make out the first part.

[knifetime]

I have looked in the old print and I can't find that pattern listed at all , in the Washington Works or after.

[Jody744]

Cool knife! Welcome to aapk!
I have no valuable input as to this matter,
or for most other matters...
Please feel free to post pics of your knives in the
custom knives section of the forum, would love
to see them, especially since ray is such a fan.
Do you ever go to tbe blade show in atlanta?

[jdsmith02115]

The 'Washington Works' stamp may make the knife a little older than earlier stated. Levine says this mark dates to mid-1800s (1848to about 1870). I have to say that the design does not look that old to me so I am kinda unsure about using the stamp to date the knife. It'll be interesting to see what the rest of the guys have to say about the date. As to values, the poor economy seems to have hurt this brand as it has most brands.
By the way, to the forum and we'll look forward to getting a look at your knives. Thanks for posting this one.

Ray

EDIT: Can you tell us what the blade etch says? I can see HUNTER but I can't make out the first part.

The blade etch reads: "The IXL Hunter"

[knife7knut]

Here is the page from Bernard's 2nd edition of the German version.Although the Washington Works stamp dates to 1848 I do not think it is that old.The word,"England" incorporated into the stamp would suggest that it was post 1891 if in fact it was destined for the USA market.Normally knives made for the English and other European markets were not required to have the country of origin stamp.There is also no."oil the joints" stamp which usually is reserved for later knives.The font used on the IXL Hunter stamp looks to be 1890's era so I am still thinking that is the era that it was made.Although Bernard says 1930's for the Henckels model it could have been earlier.
Whatever the case it is still a very beautiful and valuable knife in my opinion.

[Otis the 3rd]

Great knife!! I would say it was German made for Wostenholm, probably from the same shop the Henkels came from. But I'm also just guessing...

[Mumbleypeg]

Welcome to AAPK, and thanks for posting the picture of that rare and beautiful piece of knife art. Really great to see the design and workmanship. Sorry I can't contribute to answering your questions, but wanted you to know my appreciation for the knife.

Ken

[knifetime]

Very nice knife, and I'm glade you posted it. It is a real unusual pattern and is in top condition it should be worth some Jack, how much I have no idea, but I am just glad you posted it because it is the first one like it I have saw and I have been researching I,XL Wostenholm knives for a wow now.