Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

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LongBlade
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

JohnR wrote:Finally added a budding grafting knife to the collection, a minty Wostenholm.
Nice John ::tu:: ::tu:: .. got to have a few budding grafting knives for the Hawkbills :D ... I think your Wostenholm is mid 1900s if I’m not mistaken - I saw lots of them at a knife show and that is what I was told from a few collectors...
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by JohnR »

LongBlade wrote:
JohnR wrote:Finally added a budding grafting knife to the collection, a minty Wostenholm.
Nice John ::tu:: ::td:: .. got to have a few budding grafting knives for the Hawkbills :D ... I think your Wostenholm is mid 1900s if I’m not mistaken - I saw lots of them at a knife show and that is what I was told from a few collectors...
Thanks Lee, I would agree with you as far as age, thinking 1950's or so.
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djknife13
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by djknife13 »

Picture 1 is J.Rogers. The 3rd one down has scales that are 1 inch wide including the spring and liners. somewhere I believe I have a nicer Rogers but can't remember where I stored it away. Picture 2 are all IXL's. The 4th down with the large stag scales measure 1and 5/16th thick X 1 3/8th inch high. The bottom left scales are pressed horn. The two wood IXL's are also massive in the hand. ____Dave
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hawkbills IXL Rogers and others 003.JPG
hawkbills IXL Rogers and others 005.JPG
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djknife13
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by djknife13 »

Here's a better picture of the fat IXL scales. The second picture contains (top to bottom) Winchester with secondary saw blade, a Thomas Turner with smooth horn scales, a Harrison Bros. and Howson also stamped Cutler to her majesty, This one reminds me of a Rogers hawkbill and they were neighbors at No.45 Norfolk St. and Rogers were at No.6 Norfolk St. The bottom is a Northfield. I've probably posted some of these before. ____Dave
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stag IXL 001.JPG
hawkbills IXL Rogers and others 006.JPG
BWT
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by BWT »

LongBlade wrote:Another Hawkbill for this thread … a “lucky” good find for my horticultural knife subcollection and one which I have been looking for quite awhile :D – Knife has that old colorful gnarly stag, particularly as seen on those older Sheffield knives. This Rodgers Hawkbill below is very reminiscent of the IXL that I posted on page 32 - Here’s the link to page 32 viewtopic.php?f=35&t=19895&start=465

The two knives make a nice pair with similar handles of old Sheffield quality makers .. though I find Rodgers harder to find than IXL Wostenholms... only my guess but maybe because many Rodgers knives sit in collections which we don't often see ::shrug:: ...

Joseph Rodgers & Sons – 4 & 3/4” closed – Integral liners and rat tail bolster with iron hammered pins in stag… Given the integral build and as usually noted this would make this early – likely pre-1860 – Hefty build and the stag covers are thick slabs of stag of my favorite kind in color etc NOD… I tried to give an idea of the thickness in the photo which shows the rear of the knife (see photo)… each slab was slightly more than 3/8” and the knife over an inch in width at the backside which includes the liner and backsprings - a nice handful of knife ;-) – Blade lightly sharpened retaining most of ithe shape and given a Hawkbill in relatively good shape… Knife was no doubt used as one could see some “use” scratches reflected in the patina in some photos etc…

I was thinking my Rodgers and IXL budding grafting knives I posted just above will make a nice pair with these hawkbills 8)

Thanks all for looking! I’ll post a few different angles of photos to show more of the all around look of this knife (double click for enlarged photos)….

Mark Side V2 DSCN8544.JPG

Mark Side DSCN8521.JPG

Pile Side DSCN8530.JPG

Blade Open DSCN8562.JPG

Integral Liners Bolsters DSCN8551.JPG

Deep Blade Stamp & Tang Stamp DSCN8569.JPG

Tang Stamp Pile Star - Maltese Cross DSCN8596.JPG
Better late than never Lee, just saw your Joesph Rodgers, that is a good looking ole knife. You just can't beat that old stag, thanks for sharing.
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by BWT »

Dave what a collection, those are some beautiful knives. Nothing not to like about those, very impressive for me!!!
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by BWT »

Good find John, very very nice ::tu:: ::tu::
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LongBlade
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

djknife13 wrote:Picture 1 is J.Rogers. The 3rd one down has scales that are 1 inch wide including the spring and liners. somewhere I believe I have a nicer Rogers but can't remember where I stored it away. Picture 2 are all IXL's. The 4th down with the large stag scales measure 1and 5/16th thick X 1 3/8th inch high. The bottom left scales are pressed horn. The two wood IXL's are also massive in the hand. ____Dave
Those are beauties Dave ::tu:: ::tu:: ... in fact the hefty stag IXL in the photo I think is the same IXL I have and posted on page 32 - looks like the same size, stag, end cap and the font of the deep IXL stamp on the blade (which is unusual for IXL deep stamps using fancy font) looks to be exactly the same 8) ...
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by doglegg »

DJ that is an awesome collection. Wow, I bet they were all used there in Minnesota. ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

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BWT wrote: Better late than never Lee, just saw your Joesph Rodgers, that is a good looking ole knife. You just can't beat that old stag, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Bill ::tu:: ::handshake:: ..
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Here’s a lucky recent pickup with abit of a story… I saw this hawkbill with nice bone and a grooved bolster, brass end cap etc – a nice HOK - but the tang stamp being very worn was an unknown – and 3 or 4 different folks looked with a loupe and couldn’t venture a guess – it was like playing a game of “Wheel of Fortune” … I bought it anyway as somehow it looked familiar especially the bolster but also hard to walk away from a bone hawkbill which are not all that common - it was a nice old knife just based on looks :D … Anyway I kept thinking maybe Holley and hoping based on the few letters - - but when I saw another Holley Hawkbill at the show though not in bone my suspicions were confirmed – a Holley for sure based on construction and end cap, bolster etc ::super_happy:: … See the tang stamp photo - I think the original stamp was HOLLEY/ MAN’FG Co/LAKEVILLE / CONN … or HOLLEY / LAKEVILLE / CONN – Importantly the ID was also nailed down based on the other jigged bone Holleys posted in this same thread – same bone, end cap, bolster etc ::nod::

This example is 4 3/8” closed – still hard snapping and tight.. it definitely has some weight to it given the thick brass end cap along with the catch bit in the well… it no doubt is heavier than some of my larger hawkbills at 4 3/4” …. Somewhere I read it may be Salisbury bone rather than Rogers – definitely doesn’t seem to have the classic Rogers look to me imo… either way I’m really diggin’ the pick bone ::groove:: .. I also like the way they hammered steel pins on the handle where the spring is and small brass ones on rest of handle - a cool touch!!
Mark Side DSCN8608.JPG
Pile Side DSCN8616.JPG
Blade Open DSCN8631.JPG
End Cap - Spring - Mark Side DSCN8647.JPG
Tang Stamp DSCN8668.JPG
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djknife13
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by djknife13 »

Great find Lee and good detective work. Holley is notorious for soft stamping but sure make a sweet knife. I have one wood Holley hawkbill but have never seen a bone one. ____Dave
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by FRJ »

That is a great knife, Lee. A real beauty and old timey all the way.
Honkin' end cap!
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LongBlade
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Thanks Dave and Joe ::tu:: ::handshake:: ... I was excited as I had been looking for the right one to help fill a gap in my CT makers for Hawkbills... still missing one in particular, a Miller Bros... I think I have only seen a couple but a few years ago and it was either abused or unobtainable...
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by djknife13 »

Lee, good luck with your search for the Miller Bros. They are really scarce at least in my circles. The only one I have been able to find in 20 years or so actively collecting hawkbills, is a cast metal one in not very good shape. But then again, I have never found a bone Holley either. It took me a long time to find my Northfield. I found a large Miller Bros. rope knife in Janesville one year but that's as close as I've come so far. ____Dave
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by JohnR »

Thats a great find Lee, congratulations!
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by JohnR »

djknife13 wrote:Here's a better picture of the fat IXL scales. The second picture contains (top to bottom) Winchester with secondary saw blade, a Thomas Turner with smooth horn scales, a Harrison Bros. and Howson also stamped Cutler to her majesty, This one reminds me of a Rogers hawkbill and they were neighbors at No.45 Norfolk St. and Rogers were at No.6 Norfolk St. The bottom is a Northfield. I've probably posted some of these before. ____Dave

Dave, love that fat Wostenholm, only one I have seen from them. I have a Shirley's that has stag that fat, originally posted it in the vintage stag thread.
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IMG_9256.jpg
IMG_9258.jpg
IMG_9259.jpg
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LongBlade
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Nice Shirley Hawkbill John ::tu:: ::tu:: ... Nothing like that fat old stag :D ...

Here's one I recently found on a local shop hunt which I couldn't leave behind and my only duplicate though this one is ebony rather than cocobolo (I'll add the photo of my other from many pages back for convenience at the end of this post) - Snapped some photos today but at the same time I realized I never took photos of a number of my Hawkbills from past scores ::doh:: ).... So on a different note more photos of other Hawkbills to come ::nod:: ...

H&B - New Britain CT - Ebony handles and 4 & 3/4" closed - Nice deep blade stamp and crisp tang stamp (interestingly it looks like the die used had the bottom of the B missing ::shrug:: )... Brass end cap and liners as does my other... Bear trap snap... No doubt sharpened but mainly towards the tip or bill - on these blades there was not a large "bill" as on some others according to viewing the H&B catalog cut below which I attached (and I believe posted by Lyle on the Farmers Jack thread) - Not all makers made Hawhkills with big sweeping "bills"....

Anyway very rarely do you find unused or unsharpened Hawkbills and most were used hard - as a result its always interesting to me how Hawkbills were sharpened over the years by the original owners who used them - it gives them great character :D ...
Mark Side DSCN8843.JPG
End Cap - Mark Side DSCN8930.JPG
Pile Side DSCN8867.JPG
Blade Open DSCN8881.JPG
Deep Stamp - Tang Stamp DSCN8892.JPG
My other H&B Hawkbill (All the same except I believe Cocobolo handles - the blade was sharpened differently but believe they were both the same as the beginning (although this one is 4 &5/8"
H&B Hawkbill DSCN8657A PS.jpg
Catalog Cut from 1900 - See right hand page bottom though that Hawkill with same characteristics is listed as 4 & 1/4" but believe the same overall including blade shape
7 Pruners .jpg
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by djknife13 »

John, that Shirley is gorgeous. I've never heard of them. Lee, I like all the H&B knives I've seen and yours is really nice. I have two, one with the blade stamp and one without. I have a nice big coke hunter too that I bought years ago at a gun show along with 4 other hunters for $10 each. I really like dealing with gun dealers who don't think old knives have any real value. Let's not tell them.____Dave
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

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Thanks Dave ::tu:: ::handshake:: ... sounds like you have some nice H&Bs - I did see a jumbo H&B Hunter last weekend at the NCCA show which had a massive blade - biggest Hunter I ever seen but I let it slide (but know where it is if I ever decide on it)...
djknife13 wrote: I really like dealing with gun dealers who don't think old knives have any real value. Let's not tell them.____Dave
I agree Dave :lol: - I always say knowledge is king in buying knives :D ... on the other hand I’ve seen dealers over price them as well thinking the complete opposite extreme - they think they are more valuable than their real market worth ...
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by JohnR »

Wow Lee, you are on a roll, those are some great H&B's.
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

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Thanks John ::tu:: ::handshake:: ... actually some are an old roll and some a new roll :D ... a few coming up including the previous cocobolo H&B above were found awhile back - some 2-3 years ago but for some reason I never took pics... Now I am on a mission to get more up on this thread including a Southington, Conn Cut Co, Waterville, Challenge etc :wink: ...
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Here's another to share now that I am checking through them, definitely a few more as I get time :)

Southington Cut Co - 4 & 5/16" closed - Cocobolo handles - Aged in terms of some staining though blade still retinas a nice shape - and the blade still is a bear trap and tight - not bad for a knife often used hard and to me speaks somewhat to quality ::nod:: ... Another pattern not seen too often from Southington imo.. at least I haven't seen many on the hunt...
Mark Side DSCN8984.JPG
Pile Side DSCN8947.JPG
Blade Open DSCN8962.JPG
Tang Stamp DSCN8975.JPG
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by BWT »

Very nice Lee, I've only seen one Southington in person and was able to get it, even though it had metal handles. It is a very well made knife. I really like your pruner ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Old Pruning and Horticultural Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Thanks Bill ::tu:: ::handshake:: ...
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