All About Pocket Knives

Need help on these last 2 picks I found today from Rennigers.

I believe this first one is a WW2 British Rigging knife made by Sheffield. I think the arrow indicates Sheffield as maker & the 942 that is barely visible is 1942 the date. Can anyone confirm that it's made of bone? I thought most of these had black composite handles but this looks like bone I think? Also, what is written above the 1942?

The second looks well worn and old. Anyone have any info on it?

Thanks! Last post for awhile.

The broad arrow indicates it was military issue;not sure of the letters and the date next to it on the spike.The scales are checkered horn. Tried reading the tang stamp but to no avail.Looks a bit like NB Co. whatever that may mean.
The second knife looks like a Colonial or Imperial fob knife commemorating George Washington's residence.Could possibly have been done to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth(1731). There were a lot of commemorative knives made for that;I have a couple different ones.

That's a fantastic old Marlin spike you found. Very nice.

You are correct about the date being the year it was made as was Ray correct abut the "arrow" being the MoD (Ministry of Defence) "broad arrow" acceptance stamp. I think the number next to the "broad arrow" may be that specific Inspecters stamp. Not for positive though.

The rest you can get over at British Blades in their Thread: Circa WW11 Military Folders @ http://www.britishblades.com/forums/sho ... ry-Folders

Thanks KK, here are some more picks might help.

Tried going through several listings of maker's marks and came up empty. I did find an NB Co. but that was a Connecticut firm(New Britain). Then I thought maybe it is WB instead. The only one that came close was Wade & Butcher and they always stamped their knives W&B. There are several German fims with those initials but I discounted those.
Maybe Smiling Knife or Iron Hoarder might be able to assist as they are more familiar with English marks than I am.

If it's 1942, I doubt that's checkered horn, although that was my thought when I saw the first photo.

I think the horn handled knives like that one pretty much date to WWI. I'm basing that on things that Robert, Iron Hoarder, has posted here before.

Charlie Noyes

RobesonsRme.com wrote:If it's 1942, I doubt that's checkered horn, although that was my thought when I saw the first photo.

I think the horn handled knives like that one pretty much date to WWI. I'm basing that on things that Robert, Iron Hoarder, has posted here before.

Charlie Noyes

Charlie;if you look at the pic of the handle close up it appears to be like every horn handled knife I have ever seen.JMHO

Here's a couple picks of side of handle, Im pretty sure it's bone. I found a tang but still don't think its a match...WB&CO, I think this will prob go unsolved. Was thinking about posting on that British forum, any ideas? Thanks

I didn't say it didn't look like horn, I agree that it does.

Robert has posted here before re' these jacks and I understood him to say the horn handled versions were circa WWI.

So, I said I "doubted" it was horn.

I'd love for it to be horn. I don't see any demestid beetle bites on them though.

Charlie

It's not bone. No haversian canals and I doubt it's horn (could be wrong of course). Looks to me like a dirty example of that black synthetic they used on most all of them during WWII. Just one more opinion.

With which, I tend to agree.

Charlie

You guys are probably right but with the little research I did, I think that there were "Indian" bone handle knives made for the British for the war. Anyone know about that?

Treasure Trawler wrote: I think that there were "Indian" bone handle knives made for the British for the war. Anyone know about that?

These were made to resemble British knives the marks do not look like anything I have seen on an official British made knife from that era.

The handles could be horn, hard to tell from the pictures, I have seen a substance called Bexoid (among several other names), that was used on the British made knives most of it was jet black but I do have one that looks like horn but is synthetic Bexoid, which is a Cellulose Acetate unlike Celluloid which is a Cellulose Nitrate and is more unstable.

I have observed the Cellulose Acetate can shrink badly especially when it goes from a humid environment to a very dry one.