Help with ID

[beresman]

I have mentioned in another thread that I'm looking at collecting folding knives from various countries around the world, looking for something distinctive and interesting (to me, anyway). I saw this little gem (?) on eBay and bought it, thinking it might be some interesting middle eastern maker. The blade is pitted and the tang stamps are hard to read, but if I'm not mistaken, it actually says "No. 6 Made in England"! I'm wondering about the marks on the other side; they look like an asterisk and an iron cross. I looked in the thread of tang stamp charts, but if it's there, I overlooked it. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[richard]

looks like a old rodgers n0.6 norfolk street. been
re handled. any more pics would be good ?

[richard]

https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/foru ... ment-10803
here is a link to rodgers knives

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I can't help with this knife, but just as a side note, I can't think of anything more difficult than trying to collect knives of the world. Good luck!

[beresman]

looks like a old rodgers n0.6 norfolk street. been
re handled. any more pics would be good ?

After looking at the link you provided, I certainly agree. Thank you!

Here area couple of photos of the handle. I was thinking it might be some middle eastern make, but apparently it was made in England for sale into that area. Hmmm...

I've looked up the name advertised on the handle, and while there are businesspeople with that surname, I haven't found much of anything on this business (other than that they advertised on knives!)

[beresman]

I can't help with this knife, but just as a side note, I can't think of anything more difficult than trying to collect knives of the world. Good luck!

Some are easy, of course, but doing it on a budget is even more challenging. So far I have knives from: USA, Germany, Spain, England, Pakistan, China, Japan, Sweden, Italy, Israel, Taiwan and Brazil. I either have on order or have a line on knives from Norway, Russia (USSR), South Africa, New Zealand, Albania and France.

my favorite pattern is the Stockman, but obviously a lot of countries won't have that pattern. But that's what makes it more interesting for me--looking at the variety of types and maybe getting a little history lesson at the same time.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

Is it possible the blade is English, but the assembled knife is not? Sort of like when some Italian knives use English or German steel (or at least claim to do so)?

[beresman]

Is it possible the blade is English, but the assembled knife is not? Sort of like when some Italian knives use English or German steel (or at least claim to do so)?

It may be. According to the article, many counterfeits were made (presumably in the 1800's) in other countries, often using the trademark (because it was better recognized in countries where English was not the primary language)...and there is no mark on the knife that looks remotely like the Rodgers name.

I do have to say that, as pitted as the blade is, it still has a really good edge. It doesn't look recently sharpened--or ever, for that matter (caveat: I'm not an expert on such matters).

[richard]

Here are some rodgers knives of that period with horn handles.and correct tang stamps.

[beresman]

Here are some rodgers knives of that period with horn handles.and correct tang stamps.

Thanks! And I've looked at others on eBay (always a crap shoot) but pretty much inevitably they show the "Rodgers" name somewhere, either on the tang stamp or on the blade itself. Mine shows it in neither place, so I'm going to guess it's a contemporary counterfeit. Which, while it may mean it's not valuable as a collectors item, still makes it interesting (at least to me) and now I wonder more than ever: where did the darn thing come from? Probably no one alive can answer that question, but it makes for interesting speculation.

Thanks for your help, Richard! And if anyone else has other information on this, I'm all ears.

[richard]

If it was a secondery blade they rehandled. it could be a original. look at my pics i posted only the main blades have rodgers on them. how long is the blade?
i am guessing it is a secondery blade from a broken knife re handled. probably in india. just my opinion .

[knife7knut]

It looks like an Indian made knockoff of the Rodgers trademark. I have seen that particular model but many others.It is usually stamped,"No.6 Sheffield Steel".The lettering on the side looks like native Indian dialect.

[kootenay joe]

I agree with k7k. Likely made in India 50 or more years ago. Could be pre WW II.
kj

[beresman]

If it was a secondery blade they rehandled. it could be a original. look at my pics i posted only the main blades have rodgers on them. how long is the blade?
i am guessing it is a secondery blade from a broken knife re handled. probably in india. just my opinion .

The blade is just over 2-1/2" from tip to pivot.

[beresman]

It looks like an Indian made knockoff of the Rodgers trademark. I have seen that particular model but many others.It is usually stamped,"No.6 Sheffield Steel".The lettering on the side looks like native Indian dialect.

As best as I can tell it's

No. 6
Made In
England

on one side of the tang, and the trademark on the other. No writing on the blade itself.

[richard]

At 2 1/2 inches that would be a main blade . a secondary blade would be 2 inches.
so is probably a fake .

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I disagree about that being an East Indian language. I'm no linguist, but I do know that there really is no "Indian language", there are literally dozens of regional languages In India. The largest is Hindi, and that is not Hindi. It is also not Bengali or Tamil. It could be Punjabi (which is near Afghanistan and based more on a middle eastern language), or it could be Arabic, or maybe Pashto (Eastern Iran) or Farsi (Persian). I put "Real File Steel" in google translate, and then switched to all these languages, and none of them matched, although the Pashto probably looked the most similar. Of course, I have no idea if the script actually says "Real File Steel" or something completely different!

[kootenay joe]

No one said the characters on the knife handle are an "East Indian language". I said the knife was likely made 50 or more years ago in India. They often used part of the Jos. Rodgers & Sons trademarks to fool the locals into thinking it was a Sheffield made knife. It could be a knife made to sell in an Arabic country. It is not a British made knife. Chances are high it was made in India.
kj

[beresman]

Thanks, folks! I’ve had one person suggested might be Persian, but when I look at various alphabets on Wikipedia, I can’t really match the letters up. I’ve tried Arabic, Aramaic, Hindi and Tamil. I have a couple feelers out with people who know someone who is of Middle Eastern descent… If I find anything out, I’ll post it here.

[knife7knut]

For what it's worth I did a search on the name that is stamped on it and although there were no matches there were several references to Indonesia.

[redranger]

I recently purchased this Imperial single blade folding knife. I'm having trouble identifying what model it is and how old it is also what is the handle made of?

[kootenay joe]

It is called a "Rope knife", blade is for cutting through rope. Often used on boats so tip not pointy so you don't stab yourself as boat sways on waves. Handles are a plastic, likely Delrin.
kj

[redranger]

Thanks, any ideas on age? Value?