All About Pocket Knives

In this thread I would like to see Genuine Ivory handle knives. Ivory has always been a premium handle material then as now you don`t see too many knives with Genuine Ivory handles. If you have any please post them here

Here is a very unusual old one to start things off.

It is marked; Colquhoun & Cadman Sheffield. It is pre 1891 for sure nice Ivory handles, no damage on either side and they have that nice yellow tone that comes from over 100 years of age. Long bar shield, it is a very uncommon pattern sort of a double end sleeveboard with squared bolsters. I don`t think I have another quite like it. It is a large knife measuring in at 4" long closed. Let me know if you like it

Great thread! I dont own one but I will be looking foward to seeing some.
Nice knife ::Envy::

I don't have any Vintage Ivory Handled Knives but I do have some more recent models. I do Love Elephant Ivory!

Here is a bunch of ivory knives I own.Don't have names on the pics so if you are curious about a particular one let me know and I'll dig it out.

First 3 pics are closeups of a 350 year old jambiya that was given to me years ago to show the cracking and wear on the ivory which I believe is elephant.

A few more..............

Last batch............

Great thread and thank you Miller Bro's and knife7nut for sharing. here is my only ivory. I no longer have it. It left me for a person with too much money. The spud has probably been shortened. Come on folks break them out, we know you have em

Another great thread! Thanks for starting it & thanks for all the great pictures already displayed!

I do not have near as many Ivory handled knives, but I will get my camera warmed up for the ones I do have.

Here is one I just posted on another forum.

American Knife Co.
Plymouth

A couple more that I already posted under previous threads...

Electric Cutlery



From the Dollar special thread:

Here is one for ya.... a fancy little Sheffield dogleg. I still don't know the actual maker. I paid $5 for it at the Case show in Bradford. The tang reads something like G. Parks or G. Farns, but alas, I can't figure it out.

Maybe new eyes can figure out the maker for sure?

Nice knives everyone

I know there a many more of you out there that have some

Very nice knives. I hate to be left out on these but I don't think CATTARAUGUS or JACK KNIFE BEN made any ivory handled knives. Keep the pictures coming.

great looking knives as expected. ::TU::

Beautiful ivory knives everyone. There's nothing quite like it. Here are few to add to the thread.

Harrison bros & Howson circa late 1800s



Joseph Hayward again late 1800s.

JACKNIFEBEN wrote:Very nice knives. I hate to be left out on these but I don't think CATTARAUGUS or JACK KNIFE BEN made any ivory handled knives.

You don`t tend to see many old American made knives with Ivory handles. The ones you do find are small pen or Quill knives and some Horticultural/Grafting knives.

Regular jack knife patterns and larger knives are seldom found.

Most of the Ivory handle old knives I see are made in England.

Here is an exception to the rule.

It is a very large, 4 3/4" folding hunting knife with genuine Ivory handles, the Ivory is over 1" wide at it`s largest end.

Made by the Holley Mfg. Co. Lakeville, Conn. circa 1854-1900, by my estimation.
Holley made a larger Folding hunter than this, I have seen them in wood only. This is a very scarce knife with the original Ivory handles The pearl knife in the last photo is for size comparison.

is it hard to tell the difference between smooth bone and ivory?

Bernard Levine has written quite a bit on the subject on another forum.

Ivory has a faint wood like grain and has natural irregularities. It is very hard.

Imitation ivory (plastic or celluloid) will be much softer & will have a simulated grain that looks much more regular.

Bone has pores (Haversian canals). It doesn't have the wavy wood grain.

Nice knives fellers and ladies of course. Mitch, im not real big into modern knives but thats a sweet collection of ivory handles. NICE

Travis

One more to keep things going. A nice large sleeveboard penknife.

Very classy old knife, I like the stamped blade face

Some group pictures... lots of different shades.

Lot`s of nice old Ivory handles knives there K.

Thanks for showing `em

knifegirl888 wrote:Bernard Levine has written quite a bit on the subject on another forum.

Ivory has a faint wood like grain and has natural irregularities. It is very hard.

Imitation ivory (plastic or celluloid) will be much softer & will have a simulated grain that looks much more regular.

Bone has pores (Haversian canals). It doesn't have the wavy wood grain.

We were discussing and looking at some ivory knives at a meeting of the Oregon Knife Collectors Association (OKCA), of which Bernard is a member. Someone asked how to tell the difference between bone and ivory.
Bernard made it as simple as "Ivory had grain, bone has pores."
It made it real easy to remember.

Dale

Orvet,

Thanks! I would love to live close & be able to attend one of those meetings. I am jealous!

I am looking at the knives that I pictured in this group. There is only one I am now questioning as to whether it is ivory.

It is the second quill knife from the top.

It is an odd ball. All the others, I have been able to see the tell tale wavy grain (even if I had to use a loupe at times).

But on the darker little quill, it actually looks more like some sort of tortoise shell? It has translucent areas. It doesn't appear to be celluloid to me. It isn't the normal looking tortoise though?

I wonder if you have any thoughts on it?

knifegirl888 wrote:
I am looking at the knives that I pictured in this group. There is only one I am now questioning as to whether it is ivory.

It is the second quill knife from the top.

It is an odd ball. All the others, I have been able to see the tell tale wavy grain (even if I had to use a loupe at times).

But on the darker little quill, it actually looks more like some sort of tortoise shell? It has translucent areas. It doesn't appear to be celluloid to me. It isn't the normal looking tortoise though?

I wonder if you have any thoughts on it?

I would like to see a close up shot of the handle if you would.It looks like darkened ivory to me but I would need to see it up close.I don't think it is tortoise(not the right coloring).Tortoise also has a layering similar to ivory but it usually looks like multiple layers of paint that have been sanded through in spots.Possibly the liner material has discolored the ivory over time.

Thanks for the reply. In the Standard knife collectors book (title?), it shows an ivory knife that is similar & I still wasn't convinced.. lol

I will try to get some pictures of it up close soon.