What knife is this? John Askham

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:05 am

Hello everyone,

got another interesting mystery. I have a set of knives with bone scales marked John Askham Sheffield. I'm curious as to the type of blade it is and it's use. The tip is slightly rounded, blade has an edge on both sides and is convex, which I have not came across before. My first impression is that it could have been a skewer of some sort?

Ridgegrass · Post by **Ridgegrass** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:47 am

Looks like it was a dagger, maybe ground down by sharpening. Hard to tell. Neat piece. J.O'.

eveled · Post by **eveled** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 10:14 am

Looks like an oyster knife. How long is it?

How many in the set? Are they in a case, sold as a set?

Steve Warden · Post by **Steve Warden** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 11:25 am

eveled wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 10:14 am Looks like an oyster knife. How long is it?

How many in the set? Are they in a case, sold as a set?

Oyster knife was my first thought.

Ridgegrass · Post by **Ridgegrass** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:22 pm

Duh! I missed the part about a "set" of them. Yeah, I agree with oyster. (And I'm the guy from Chesapeake Bay !!!)

J.O'.

TazmanTom18 · Post by **TazmanTom18** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:46 pm

Florida guy, oyster knife....

Gunsil · Post by **Gunsil** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 3:55 pm

With that tapered tang and bone scales, that is one cool oyster knife!!

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:42 pm

eveled wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 10:14 am Looks like an oyster knife. How long is it?

How many in the set? Are they in a case, sold as a set?

A set of six, no case. Got them in a box of other knives about 2 years ago.

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:44 pm

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:22 pm Duh! I missed the part about a "set" of them. Yeah, I agree with oyster. (And I'm the guy from Chesapeake Bay !!!) J.O'.

never occurred to me that this could be an oyster knife. Now it is obvious to me...

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:45 pm

Thank you all for your help.

I will be posting another item that I need help with shortly.

QTCut5 · Post by **QTCut5** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:52 pm

I know nothing about oyster knives...have only seen a few; but, I don't recall if any of the ones I've seen were sharpened on both edges. Is it typical for an oyster knife to be sharpened on both edges?

And the finger guard is another thing that makes me think the knife looks more like a dagger that's been worn down and sharpened a lot.

Very cool little knife...whatever it is. What's the overall length?

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:57 pm

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:52 pm I know nothing about oyster knives...have only seen a few; but, I don't recall if any of the ones I've seen were sharpened on both edges. Is it typical for an oyster knife to be sharpened on both edges?

And the finger guard is another thing that makes me think the knife looks more like a dagger that's been worn down and sharpened a lot.

Very cool little knife...whatever it is. What's the overall length?

Overall is 7-1/4". Initially I was thinking dagger or a modified as well, but the fact that I have six of them kind of threw me off. Once the oyster knife came up here, I found similar ones on line.

eveled · Post by **eveled** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:20 pm

That’s what I was getting at. Trying to see if they really are a “set”, as opposed to 6 duplicates. Thought it might give a clue to their uses.

But it makes perfect sense to have 6 oyster knives if you have a family that eats them a lot. Or in a kitchen.

If they are only a couple three inches long, they are definitely oyster knives.

QTCut5 there are many models of oyster knives associated with different regions. This is one of the common pattern.

Gunsil · Post by **Gunsil** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:25 pm

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:52 pm I know nothing about oyster knives...have only seen a few; but, I don't recall if any of the ones I've seen were sharpened on both edges. Is it typical for an oyster knife to be sharpened on both edges?

And the finger guard is another thing that makes me think the knife looks more like a dagger that's been worn down and sharpened a lot.

Very cool little knife...whatever it is. What's the overall length?

Most oyster knives have double edged convex blades that are usually 3" or so in length. Another tell is the guard that overhangs the scales. A dagger usually has a guard that is no wider than the handle while an oyster knife's guard will often overhand the handle to prevent the user from getting cut by the oyster shell while opening it. Daggers usually don't have convex ground blades.

tongueriver · Post by **tongueriver** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:04 pm

It would be nice to see the box that this 'set' is in. Could it be a display box at a store to sell one knife (or more) at a time, rather than a 'set'? Why would oyster knives be in a set?

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:11 pm

tongueriver wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:04 pm It would be nice to see the box that this 'set' is in. Could it be a display box at a store to sell one knife (or more) at a time, rather than a 'set'? Why would oyster knives be in a set?

Unfortunately no box. You may be correct, I just assumed they are a set.

Ridgegrass · Post by **Ridgegrass** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:12 pm

Here is a typical oyster knife used by shuckers in bars, restaurants, homes , and oyster roasts around Baltimore and the Chesapeake. I have never seen a guard on one. On Maryland's Eastern shore many are forged from 1/2 -3/4" square bar stock, hammered into the same blade profile. I have a thick plastic handled Russell but can't find it just now. It's blade tip is turned up but it has no guard. It's not as handy as the old "sock darner" style.
Notice my handle is battered up from napping oyster edges to "find the slot". If you've never shucked, the blade point is inserted between the oyster shells and swung side to side to cut the adductor muscles and then twisted 90 degrees to open the shell. It's difficult at first but an expert shucker can keep quite a few customers eating steadily. They are artists in their own right. (PS: A good work glove on the opposite hand is advisable

)
I still agree yours is a variation on this model. J.O'.

Ridgegrass · Post by **Ridgegrass** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:27 pm

I agree with Gunsil about blade length. Mine is 2-5/8". A longer one becomes a liability in close quarters. The "sock darner" style obviates the need for a guard as the hand is mostly behind the handle. Both edges are semi-sharp to cut the adductor muscles on the back and forth stroke. Not to be too instructive but I've shucked a few bushels in my day. It's fun and a great local tradition. J.O'.

tongueriver · Post by **tongueriver** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:44 pm

And great education; thanx, Ridgegrass! Anybody going to have oyster stew on Christmas Eve?

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:57 pm

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:12 pm Here is a typical oyster knife used by shuckers in bars, restaurants, homes , and oyster roasts around Baltimore and the Chesapeake. I have never seen a guard on one.

Here are a couple from my accumulation.The first pic the bottom knife is French. The second pic shows one longer and with a guard. This is the only one I've ever seen with a guard. The last pic is of a set of Henckels knives for I believe clams.I suppose they could be used for oysters.

Ridgegrass · Post by **Ridgegrass** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 11:25 pm

TR: My pleasure.

J.O'.

Ridgegrass · Post by **Ridgegrass** » Sun Dec 20, 2020 11:27 pm

K7: Those are cool.

J.O'.

QTCut5 · Post by **QTCut5** » Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:13 am

This is my only "Oyster Knife" and it is not sharpened...it's as dull as a flat-head screwdriver blade on both edges.
(I mainly use it as a glue spreader

)

unclepaulie · Post by **unclepaulie** » Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:25 am

So here is my dilemma, do I sell them as a set or one by one?

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