Cased Display of English Sloan/Kingsway Folding Knives

[Frank Graves]

Hi, New member here and my first post. This is a very informative website and I appreciate the opportunity to sign on here.

I have an unusual and fine 3' x 3' pocket/folding knife display case from the late 1930s (based on silver hallmarks) that has 66 various fancy folding knives, most being marked "Sloan/Kingsway" on the ricassos. The scales are silver, gold, pearl, ivory, horn and tortoise shell. Blades are silver and iron. Some of these non-knife blades are rulers, feeler gauges and some things that I don't know about. I have seen an advertisement from 1933 (Strand Magazine) showing a L. G. Sloan of Kingsway Street, London advertisement of a Waterman Pen Set containing a pocket knife with a letter opener blade similar to some in this display case. As I know of no known production of pocket knives by Sloan I am wondering if Sloan and/or Waterman may have considered selling these knives either at the London store or the NY Waterman's store in the 1930s thus the fancy display with catalog numbers beside each knife to generate interest. I have yet to find a catalog for these. There is one knife marked Needham/Sheffield (initials also on some hallmarks) so I believe that the known William Needham of Sheffield is likely the actual maker of these and that the vanity “maker” name Sloan was used to enhance their quality which is very high.

I would be very interested in any comments as to what I have here or if anyone knows of other Sloan marked knives and a catalog of them. Thanks for your consideration.

[dlr110]

Welcome to AAPK!
I can't tell you anything about your knives, but I'm very impressed.
Someone will be along that can help you I'm sure.

[doglegg]

Wow what an amazing set. Awesome to see such a display. Gentleman knives with clippers, pipe smoker knives, hunting knives...... on and on. Great set. And welcome, you started off with quite a splash.

[peanut740]

Welcome to AAPK. That is a fine display of English knives,that I know very little about.

[TPK]

WOW!

And

[Madmarco]

Hi, New member here and my first post. This is a very informative website and I appreciate the opportunity to sign on here.

I have an unusual and fine 3' x 3' pocket/folding knife display case from the late 1930s (based on silver hallmarks) that has 66 various fancy folding knives, most being marked "Sloan/Kingsway" on the ricassos. The scales are silver, gold, pearl, ivory, horn and tortoise shell. Blades are silver and iron. Some of these non-knife blades are rulers, feeler gauges and some things that I don't know about. I have seen an advertisement from 1933 (Strand Magazine) showing a L. G. Sloan of Kingsway Street, London advertisement of a Waterman Pen Set containing a pocket knife with a letter opener blade similar to some in this display case. As I know of no known production of pocket knives by Sloan I am wondering if Sloan and/or Waterman may have considered selling these knives either at the London store or the NY Waterman's store in the 1930s thus the fancy display with catalog numbers beside each knife to generate interest. I have yet to find a catalog for these. There is one knife marked Needham/Sheffield (initials also on some hallmarks) so I believe that the known William Needham of Sheffield is likely the actual maker of these and that the vanity “maker” name Sloan was used to enhance their quality which is very high.

I would be very interested in any comments as to what I have here or if anyone knows of other Sloan marked knives and a catalog of them. Thanks for your consideration.


Sloan knives 2 red.jpg

to AAPK Frank! You have a very handsome display of fine English knive that I'm afraid I know nothing about, although from reading your post it sounds like you've been at this awhile now, and I have little doubt you will be able to communicate in "knife language" with some of the more knowledgeable members here to find the answers to your questions. BTW, on your 2 "Pig Stickers" I see a catch-hole on the blades and either a button or shields on the covers, are they automatics, and if so, how well do they fire with all that blade to propel? Thanks, Mark!

[kootenay joe]

Sloan would have contracted with British knife manufacturers to have these made so they could be sold in his store on Kingsway street. It is common that such contract knives are not marked with the name of the manufacturer.
I assume Sloan was a rather posh business because these look to be somewhat 'higher end' knives likely all from before WW II when many Sheffield knives were the best in the world.
Likely this display shows all the knives that Sloan had ordered over many years and was probably displayed in the Sloan shop on Kingsway or in the office of the owner of the business. Likely it is the only one in existence and it is a very valuable display that should remain intact.
Very few knife collectors in North America collect vintage Sheffield knives or have in depth knowledge about them.
If you posted this on "British Blades" or other U.K. collector sites you are more likely to find information about "Sloan" branded knives and an idea of the monetary value of this unique and special display.
kj

[Frank Graves]

First of all, my sincere appreciation for the compliments and guidance.

Before I forget, if anyone would like a higher resolution image of this case, email me at [email protected] and I will send a better image back if you want to have the ability of blowing it up to look for detail. I am not trying to sell it but to learn from it and if others learn from it, then that is a bonus to me as well. I mainly collect antique firearms but have an interest in antique knives as well. This case of knives is about 200 -90 years "newer" than my interest of antique guns and knives (Bowies) but due to it's appearance and apparent rarity is of great interest to me.

I liked the idea of the Blade Forum over there in England but it is all but defunct. Good idea though, I will look for something similar offered in England.

The Sloan store was primarily high end pens and stationery and apparently was what we would call posh. They were bought by the Waterman Pen Company who resided in that same building for a while. The building does still exist and I have been looking around for vintage pictures of the interior that could show this case, but have had no luck so far. And it could be that this case was from the NY Waterman store which could be possible as the case was bought from an east coast auction some years ago.

In answer to the question about the 2 "pig stickers", I didn't know how they work as I didn't want to take them off of the backboard from which they have never been removed. I really wanted to look them over from the other side but held off in doing anything with them.

Thanks again everyone.

Frank

[Madmarco]

No problem Frank. I fully understand you not wanting to disturb your display from it's original state. Due to the features I mentioned on the 2 "pig stickers"(folding bowies), they are, in all likelihood automatics, I was just curious about how well they fire, but I can always look at YouTube for that answer. Thanks all the same! Mark!

[RobesonsRme.com]

Welcome to AAPK, Frank.

Very nice and intriguing display.

Reminds me of a rather well known and appreciated display of Burkinshaw knives that have sold at auction two or three times.

Charlie Noyes

[1967redrider]

Great looking display, and to AAPK!

[knife7knut]

I would also like to extend a welcome to the forums Frank and commend you on an amazing first post!
As to Marco's question about whether the "pig tickers" are automatic;I doubt it. The button release/lock was merely there to open the blade when pushed and lock it into position. To operate one of those knives with a spring opening would be awkward at best and dangerous at worst.
I also would hesitate to disturb the knives from their positions although I might be concerned as to the presence of rust on the blade sides facing the board. I would try to keep them in a fairy well controlled temperature environment and out of direct sunlight. I assume that there is no glass covering of the display. I would also like to see if possible some closeups of sections of the board.Nothing specific but it would facilitate a better view of the knives.

[RobesonsRme.com]

I see reflection in the OP photo, so There is glass there.

Charlie

[toomanyknives]

Very impressive, Frank! Welcome!

[Frank Graves]

Here are pictures of the four quadrants. I did the best that I could to eliminate glare.

Frank

[Frank Graves]

It has been sometime since I was last in discussions about this display case here. I have consulted several experts as well as other forums here in the US and in England in search of more information or a catalog of the Sloan company, pretty much without much success. I have found two knives similar to those in the case - one on eBay was marked identically with a "10" which matches that knife and number in this display. Another, on Espy was also a Sloan marked knife like another in this display, both of which indicate that there was some production of these, which then suggests further that there must have been a catalog printed, probably in England, that I would really like to find.

If anyone has any ideas as to how I might locate a catalog, I would sure appreciate hearing them.

This is a great resource, and I have learned a lot about other makers.

[peanut740]

There's a feller named Neal Punchard,who is a member on AAPK that has a good English collection and also has a lot of knife ephemera,catalogs etc.I can't remember his member name right off hand,but likely someone does.

[bestgear]

There's a feller named Neal Punchard,who is a member on AAPK that has a good English collection and also has a lot of knife ephemera,catalogs etc.I can't remember his member name right off hand,but likely someone does.

he’s Mason here on AAPK, great suggestion

[RobesonsRme.com]

Is this a factory display or have you put all these items together over time?

I think it’s simply a fantastic display of great high quality cutlery.

[wlf]

I'm glad to see it's still intact. It's a shame the British Blades forum is no longer up. I'll email a friend in the UK to see if he can help.

[danno50]

Wow, fantastic display!! As peanut740 said, Neal Punchard is the guy to contact about your display. He is also on Blade Forums as "herder".

[Frank Graves]

Thanks. I hope that Neal will see this either here or over at Blade Forums. I couldn't see a way to message him.
Frank

[peanut740]

Thanks. I hope that Neal will see this either here or over at Blade Forums. I couldn't see a way to message him.
Frank

Sent you a pm.

[Mason]

Sloan, London

Thanks for the vote of confidence from my friends here at AAPK and I will add what I can.

First off, that is a wonderful display of early 20th century Sheffield-made knives. It’s known that Lawrence G. Sloan was a man who owned the L. G. Sloan LTD business at 41 Kingsway in London, England. That business was a retail company for pens, pencils, and stationary, and evidently not a manufacturer of anything, especially cutlery. So Sloan, as many retail and hardware firms did, contracted out to established cutlery companies to provide them with knives branded with their own name.

It’s fairly unlikely that a catalog will turn up with a showing of Sloan’s stationary products, and highly unlikely that if a Sloan catalog did appear that it would contain the knives from the display shown. Contract knives were seldom labeled with the actual manufacturer, but as most know here on AAPK, many contract knives are “recognized” by certain traits and timelines. This can also be the case with these Sloan knives.
First, we must determine a timeframe which seems to be the teens and 20s of the 1900s for the Sloan Company, with the 1920s as the peak period. That helps to establish the possibility of which Sheffield cutlery companies were in business at that time. Next, while it is possible that the knives were sourced from different makers, they were most likely all produced from the same maker. With that in mind, Sheffield cutlery catalogs must be reviewed from that time period to see which may have produced the many different types of knives seen in the display. There is quite a range of knives shown from ruler and gauge types to folding Bowie models. That variety of knives certainly helps to narrow down the field as to which company could have offered such a range of cutlery.

With access to many Sheffield cutlery catalogs, only one stands out which offers all the knives shown in the Sloan display. That company is Francis Newton & Sons LTD which was in business from circa 1830s to 1932. There were many Sheffield cutlers operating in the early 1900s, but none that offered all the different models shown in the display. While Newton produced good quality knives, they were not in the same league as some at the top like George Wostenholm, or Joseph Rodgers. And as many here on AAPK well know, a specific name has a big impact on the perceived value of a knife.

[doglegg]

Sloan, London

Thanks for the vote of confidence from my friends here at AAPK and I will add what I can.

First off, that is a wonderful display of early 20th century Sheffield-made knives. It’s known that Lawrence G. Sloan was a man who owned the L. G. Sloan LTD business at 41 Kingsway in London, England. That business was a retail company for pens, pencils, and stationary, and evidently not a manufacturer of anything, especially cutlery. So Sloan, as many retail and hardware firms did, contracted out to established cutlery companies to provide them with knives branded with their own name.

It’s fairly unlikely that a catalog will turn up with a showing of Sloan’s stationary products, and highly unlikely that if a Sloan catalog did appear that it would contain the knives from the display shown. Contract knives were seldom labeled with the actual manufacturer, but as most know here on AAPK, many contract knives are “recognized” by certain traits and timelines. This can also be the case with these Sloan knives.
First, we must determine a timeframe which seems to be the teens and 20s of the 1900s for the Sloan Company, with the 1920s as the peak period. That helps to establish the possibility of which Sheffield cutlery companies were in business at that time. Next, while it is possible that the knives were sourced from different makers, they were most likely all produced from the same maker. With that in mind, Sheffield cutlery catalogs must be reviewed from that time period to see which may have produced the many different types of knives seen in the display. There is quite a range of knives shown from ruler and gauge types to folding Bowie models. That variety of knives certainly helps to narrow down the field as to which company could have offered such a range of cutlery.

With access to many Sheffield cutlery catalogs, only one stands out which offers all the knives shown in the Sloan display. That company is Francis Newton & Sons LTD which was in business from circa 1830s to 1932. There were many Sheffield cutlers operating in the early 1900s, but none that offered all the different models shown in the display. While Newton produced good quality knives, they were not in the same league as some at the top like George Wostenholm, or Joseph Rodgers. And as many here on AAPK well know, a specific name has a big impact on the perceived value of a knife.

Neal, thanks for the history and path to it's solving.