Looking for Help on a George Wostenholm find

[dropknives]

Hello,

Newbie here. Case XX / USA addict, but apparently not totally.... I love a new find that catches my eye/interest. Here is one of my latest.... I researched a bit but though I would give you a peek. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.... Any help/thoughts would be appreciated. I have attached some pics....

Thanks,

[Iron Hoarder]

Nice four blade pen knife. probably dates between 1850-1930 or so

[reddirtknives]

I have the same exact knife and have never seen another. My file is broke in half and the bone is worn way down smooth, Also my blades are only about 30% they look like lil spikes, all of em stamped and razor sharp…all still walk and talk too….. nice find

[reddirtknives]

I just noticed the strange long pull on your primary blade. Is it stamped IXL? All of my blades are stamped…just curious

[dropknives]

Yes All are stamped.. Long Pull Primar has George Wostenholm Cutlery.

I must say I have never seen a knife that has blade edges like this one... SHARP and not to look to have been sharpened in a long time. One of oldest, nicest finds I have. I am curious about the stamps on the blades.. In the pics you can see the various marks between the 1 X L letters. One has dot between each letter, one just after the 1. Not sure if this is supposed to be a dot or an asterisk..So I am having a hard time dating.. Iron Horder says 1890-1930 or so.... Guess I will go with that..
Sad about the file blade... but still the best comparable time period I have seen thus far...

[bworldwidedotcom]

The long pull going into the tang is not unusual for IXL knives of this period.

Also, the master blade on this vintage of IXL knife was usually stamped IXL out on the flat of the main blade and just the Geo. Wostenholm on the tang of that blade. Secondary (or all other) blades had IXL and Geo Wostenholm, etc. on the tangs only.

The milled liners, the word "Celebrated" on the one tang stamp and the general construction of the knife probably place it sometime between 1880-1910 IMO. Not sure if the "England" rule applies here since some of these were made for domestic (UK) sale and thus wouldn't have to have been stamped England even if it was made after 1890. This is not a hard and fast rule, but a general consensus.

If I really had to date this within 5 years I would say 1905-1910. I suppose it could be post WWI, but somewhat unlikely, as quality gradually declined after WWI up to WWII, which then ushered in a distinctly lower quality era of knives for IXL.

From the very old IXL's to the last "genuine" IXL's made prior to the Parker and Schrade IXL days - I like them all.

Have EDC'd vintage IXL's of various vintages and patterns over the years, they are excellent knives that really hold and edge. If you put a 1910-1930 IXL up against a comparable Case Tested or Remington of the same pattern, I think you will find that the IXL's were made better, with better materials and with a slightly greater overall beauty and symmetry of design. Of course, the American collectors tend to prefer the larger framed folding hunters, clasp knives and large trapper patterns of the Case Tested and Remington eras (from a collectibility standpoint) over the delicate and intricate pen knives that IXL was churning out during the same period. True - IXL made no "Bullet"-type knives, or at least few and far between. But trust me, some of the IXL large stock knives and cattle knives and even horseman's knives for that matter - were capable and rugged knives that would be quite worthy opponents of their American counterparts.

[Mason]

I would like to add to the previous good information.

This model in this configuration was offered in both pearl and stag from approximately the late 1800s up to around WWII. It was originally available in two sizes which were 3 inch and 3-1/2 inch. at some point the 3-1/2 inch size was dropped and only the 3 inch model (#14392 in stag for later models) continued on into the 1930s. The long nail pulls on this model would indicate an earlier variation as later models had shorter pulls.

[Steve H]

I have exactly the same knife, but with light green bone scales.

Beautifully made.