Help with Henkels Hobo

[former173rd]

Happy 4th to all
I need help with any information on a 3 pc Henkels Hobo please. I thought the scales are ivory. Any help would be appreciated. I can provide more photos if needed.

[Ridgegrass]

There are lists of stamps and dates for Henckels above on this forum page. The handles look like ivory in the pics, especially the white side. It has the horizontal striations of ivory but they copied that in celluloid. Can't be 100 % without a test. Beautiful piece, good luck with it. J.O'.

[edge213]

The pictures don't look like celluloid.
I say real ivory.

[Mumbleypeg]

Nice knife, most any collector would be happy to have it.

I have a copy of J.A. Henckels Knives by Neal Punchard (AAPK member “Mason”). I found no exact copy of your knife in the book, but did find some information that might be of use. There is a picture of a similar “folding eating knife”, model #4195, c. 1870s - 1950s. Handle Size: 4-3/8 inches. Handle Material: Celluloid. The description says “These sets were offered in various configurations which included just a knife and fork, or more commonly with a spoon as well. They were usually sold with a leather pouch.” The knife shown has a knife and a fork, which slide apart into separate pieces, and a corkscrew.

Ken

[former173rd]

Thanks for the info to all. Some of the comments support what I hoped for . Now for the hard part…how do I find a collector ? I’m not a collector (or a camper, or a hobo) so hopefully someone can give it a proper home. The last thing would be some idea of its value..
Thanks again for the help.

[dsutton24]

Well, Henckels is hard to date, let alone nail down things like materials and value.

There's Paul Henckels, they made (or at least stamped their name on) all sorts of Gentleman's knives, Lobsters and Hobos. Information on Paul Henckels is really elusive, but Pauil Henckels Hobos are very common.

J.A. Henckels has been around since the mid 1700's and made just about anything you can imagine.

Your knife looks like WWII vintage or there abouts. If you look at the scales under a good lens you may be able to see tiny pores and grain. If you can it's ivory or bone. If it's absolutely smooth is celluloid. It can be hard to tell. There are any number of sources for information on how to identify these materials.

Now, as far as value goes, without seeing it first-hand it's going to be tough. In general Hobo knives aren't a hot item, so they don't demand high prices. If it is ivory that complicates matters. The laws surrounding ivory possession are arcane, and a lot of collectors avoid it just on principle. Celluloid is no better. Celluloid is volatile, it can just turn into dust and ruin any metal in the vicinity. There are a lot of collectors who avoid celluloid, myself included, just because of this. If it's bone you have a fighting chance.

Just my opinion, etc.

[btrwtr]

Pictures aren't the best to determine but the handles look like celluloid to me. Ivory celluloid is normally much more stable than many of the lighter colored varieties so if it is celluloid I wouldn't worry too much. The section with the fork appears to be missing the corkscrew.

[Mumbleypeg]

You don’t necessarily have to determine a value to sell it. If you list it on eBay with a good description and plenty of clear, in-focus pictures, you can run it as a 7 day auction with a low starting bid, like 99¢. The bidders will determine its value. If you determine it has ivory covers, don’t mention that in the description. Ebay has software that looks for illegal (or sometimes just “politically incorrect”) words, and they will cancel a seller’s listing if they detect it. With good pictures a potential buyer will likely figure it out from the pictures.

If you want to try to sell it here on AAPK you’ll first need to purchase a premium membership. You can find details about buying a membership and selling here by clicking on “Support AAPK” in the box on the upper right of this page.

Good luck.

Ken

[Ridgegrass]

This may sound silly but a really simple test to compare celluloid and bone or ivory is to tap the material on your teeth. Bone and ivory are much harder than plastic and will have a sharper click as opposed to a dull sound. Try it with two known materials and you'll see. Works especially well comparing genuine pearl to plastic (MOTS). Try it. J.O'.