All About Pocket Knives

As best I can tell Roland this is the first mention on AAPK of this tang stamp, though there is one other knife with a "J. Dewsnap" tang stamp. I wonder what the relationship was, if any, among these two marks?

Dennis

That is a dandy! I can easily imagine, that it does have a "great feel", beautiful wood as well.

Goins lists an "Enos Dewsnap" and gives the same dates 1850-1875.
Most likely "J. Dewsnap" is the same person as "James Dewsnap" as long as the "J. Dewsnap" knife looks to be from the same time period.
kj

Beautiful Knife Roland. Ebony is outstanding.

Very pocket easy and symmetrical Roland.

Lovely old pen knife, Roland! Tweedale has 7 listings for Dewsnap: Dewsnap Brothers, two Charles Dewsnap, Enos Luke Dewsnap, James Dewsnap Ltd, John Dewsnap & Son, and Simeon Dewsnap. James, Enos and Simeon were brothers. Tweedale says that James Dewsnap was a maker of cabinet cases for cutlery, jewellery, travelling dressing and razor cases. Tweedale quotes Goins for documentation that the Dewsnap name was used on cutlery. In the 1850s James and John formed Dewsnap Brothers. In 1875 James registered a silver mark. James Dewsnap died on Sept 11, 1881. The firm became limited in 1895 and was liquidated in 1941.

I believe that this knife qualifies for this topic, a FORGED USA pocket knife. FORGED USA was one of Sears Roebuck & Company's trademark names and was made for them by the Camillus Cutlery Company.

Here's a "Tear-drop" swell-end jack.
Bridge Cutlery Co. (Shapleigh Hdw.) St. Louis MO c1902-1931.

According to Bernard Levine's third edition: "It was made in just about every imaginable handle material, including dozens of varieties of multi-colored celluloid. The pattern is pretty much out of production now."

Great thread! Here’s one you won’t see every day, Bunting Cast steel. I’m not quite sure when it dates but would guess Pre 1850

Beautiful Bunting ! Most attractive stag handles. Looks like it once had a swing guard. Shield looks quite thick & a little proud, unusual shield..
Levine list a Bunting Hardware, Kansas City about 1922. And 3 "Bunting" knife makers in Sheffield 1825-1883.
Did USA made knives have "Cast Steel" marking ? Or only British knives ?
kj

That’s an English switchblade

I agree. It’s an automatic. The hole in the tang is part of its locking mechanism. It’s on the wrong side to have been for folding guards.

Charlie

Old Folder wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:55 am Here's a "Tear-drop" swell-end jack.
Bridge Cutlery Co. (Shapleigh Hdw.) St. Louis MO c1902-1931.

According to Bernard Levine's third edition: "It was made in just about every imaginable handle material, including dozens of varieties of multi-colored celluloid. The pattern is pretty much out of production now."


IMG_0008 (1).JPGIMG_0006 (2).JPGIMG_0007 (2).JPG

Very nice Dan!!

wiseguy wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 4:00 am Great thread! Here’s one you won’t see every day, Bunting Cast steel. I’m not quite sure when it dates but would guess Pre 1850

I checked Goins and it says 1837-1868,very nice

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:19 am Beautiful Bunting ! Most attractive stag handles. Looks like it once had a swing guard. Shield looks quite thick & a little proud, unusual shield..
Levine list a Bunting Hardware, Kansas City about 1922. And 3 "Bunting" knife makers in Sheffield 1825-1883.
Did USA made knives have "Cast Steel" marking ? Or only British knives ?
kj

Made in Sheffield England, it`s an automatic Cir.1850 … the shield is the release button and the hole in the tang is to lock it closed. it has a lockback design once opened

Why not post what you know about a knife along with the picture ? Having text and picture in the same post helps those who use AAPK as a source for information.
Switchblades are the least known of folding knives. Most knife collectors do not have any switchblades and know little about them.
Reading that this Bunting knife is an 'automatic' got me to read the entire first chapter, "England", in "Art of the Switchblade" by Neal Punchard and Dan Fuller. It is a stellar book, both text and pictures.
It would be fun to have a 'guessing' forum in which obscure knives are posted without any description and people are invited to post their guesses as to nature & origin of the knife.
kj

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:07 pm Why not post what you know about a knife along with the picture ? Having text and picture in the same post helps those who use AAPK as a source for information.

kj

Because that little bit of info was brought to my attention after my initial post on the knife ….. thanks for taking a look guys !

Thanks for explaining that. It is an incredible 'find', in excellent condition with the best stag ever and about 150-175 years old. Amazing. And to top it off even more, it is a switchblade, perhaps the most collectible of all patterns. So far I have never come across any knife that even remotely compares.
kj

Glad you like it Kj... I was having dinner with Neal Punchard at OKCA show Eugene Oregon the year he put out that book you mentioned, very informative book and a nice fellow.

BWT wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:14 pm

Old Folder wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:55 am Here's a "Tear-drop" swell-end jack.
Bridge Cutlery Co. (Shapleigh Hdw.) St. Louis MO c1902-1931.

According to Bernard Levine's third edition: "It was made in just about every imaginable handle material, including dozens of varieties of multi-colored celluloid. The pattern is pretty much out of production now."


IMG_0008 (1).JPGIMG_0006 (2).JPGIMG_0007 (2).JPG

Very nice Dan!!

Thank you Bill.

Judging from appearance, I assumed this was a Sheffield knife when I purchased. However, could find no info on the maker in Levine's, Goins, or on AAPK site.
Online queries finally yielded 3 or 4 different Shirtcliff cutlers in the Hallamshire section of Sheffield, active in the 1850s to 60s. Additionally, I found that there is a 7ld postal zone within Sheffield. So, I am calling this knife a Sheffield from the mid to late 19th century.

That's a great oldie, Ike.

John

Great ol' knife Ike .. The bolsters on that knife are the epitome of a grooved or threaded bolster - very cool !! Somebody no doubt loved owning and using it - and the blade shapes have alot of character ...

I believe this is an obscure one: Murray Cutlery Co. Tang stamp is on both blades - MURRAY (arched) over CUTLERY over CO.

This pen knife is part of a single lot of seven I bought at an auction in Harrisburg, PA in 2016. It's 2-7/8" long with bone handles and excellent snap on both blades. It has serious handle damage so I never gave it much thought and it's been squirreled away for four years.

I stumbled on it yesterday so decided to clean it up a bit and learn what I could about the Murray Cutlery Co. I didn't learn anything.

The company is not listed in Goins' or in Levine's 4th. Searches on AAPK and BladeForums turned up no hits. A Google search turned up two listings; both to the 2016 Harrisburg auction. I think this one fits the definition of old and obscure.

Dennis
PS - Goins' does list a Chalmers & Murray (1890-1910) and there are a few mentions of their knives here on AAPK. Perhaps it's the same Mr. Murray in both companies.

Can't help you out on that one,Dennis, but I hope someone has some information. I would like to know.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Thu Jan 30, 2020 12:53 am That's a great oldie, Ike.

John

Thank you, John.

LongBlade wrote: ↑Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:21 am Great ol' knife Ike .. The bolsters on that knife are the epitome of a grooved or threaded bolster - very cool !! Somebody no doubt loved owning and using it - and the blade shapes have alot of character ...

Thanks, Lee, much appreciated.