Help With Makers Mark

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deserttrans
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Help With Makers Mark

Post by deserttrans »

Can anyone help with the maker of this. I guess it would be called a short bowie? Any help is much appreciated.
105360066.jpg
105360068.jpg
105360069.jpg
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kootenay joe
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by kootenay joe »

I have never seen a marking like that. The look suggests an 'offshore' possibility, maybe India or Pakistan.
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deserttrans
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by deserttrans »

Thanks for the input Joe. I have looked for information and found none. The knife was in the same family for over 60 years or better. It came from an estate sale. Again thanks for the info.
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jerryd6818
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by jerryd6818 »

deserttrans wrote:The knife was in the same family for over 60 years or better. It came from an estate sale.
Given that factoid, I'm going to have to stand at odds with Roland's opinion. I don't recall any imports from that part of the world during that time frame other than maybe some brass trinkets from India. Besides, it doesn't look crude enough to match the hand work that would have come out of Pakistan or India during that time frame.

Looking at the stamping on the ricasso makes me speculate that it's hand stamped with individual stamps. I would like to present my 'guess' thusly:
HTW = makers initials
514 = the 514th knife from that maker
38 = year it was made

Come on boys, pile on. I can take it.


Edit: I just can't help myself. I've got to say it. When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought maybe you needed help with a bottle of bourbon. We can all see where my mind's at. ::facepalm::
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kootenay joe
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by kootenay joe »

Being over 60 years old makes the India/Pakistan origin less likely, but the 'oversized' blade with brass fittings is a style made in those 2 countries. I am sure there were some skilled knife makers in those 2 countries going back 60 or more years. ( cannot go back much further or Pakistan was not)
This knife looks rather unsophisticated for a knife maker's 514th knife.
Basically, i haven't got a clue.
More people are needed to post their ideas on this one.
kj
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americanedgetech
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by americanedgetech »

jerryd6818 wrote:
deserttrans wrote:The knife was in the same family for over 60 years or better. It came from an estate sale.
Given that factoid, I'm going to have to stand at odds with Roland's opinion. I don't recall any imports from that part of the world during that time frame other than maybe some brass trinkets from India. Besides, it doesn't look crude enough to match the hand work that would have come out of Pakistan or India during that time frame.

Looking at the stamping on the ricasso makes me speculate that it's hand stamped with individual stamps. I would like to present my 'guess' thusly:
HTW = makers initials
514 = the 514th knife from that maker
38 = year it was made

Come on boys, pile on. I can take it.


Edit: I just can't help myself. I've got to say it. When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought maybe you needed help with a bottle of bourbon. We can all see where my mind's at. ::facepalm::
I agree on all points except that India, and Pakistan were both making a LOT of knives for export from the 40's onward.
I also had Hoped it was a Bourbon thread. I need practice researching there too! :lol:
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Quick Steel
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by Quick Steel »

In the Bazzar Exchange and Mart [Indian] of 1883 the initials of HTW are listed as somewhere in the insurance listings of knives. The hundreds of pages are printed almost microscopically and I could not dig anything out. This is probably a false lead, even a very false lead.
But having invested the time, I wanted to mention it to you. Good luck with your future research.

I too thought the knife originated in India.
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deserttrans
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Re: Help With Makers Mark

Post by deserttrans »

Thanks gentlemen for all the comments and information. I too thought it was of foreign origin. The age and the excellent construction of the knife most have fooled me. Also a couple of knife makers here in Arizona could not identify the maker but said the steel and construction was extremely well made?? I did do some light research and some of the pics of short bowies looked very close.
Most of the makers (from the pics) were from the southern area of the USA. Again thanks and comments are much appreciated.
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