All About Pocket Knives

Hi gents...

I have yet another question for the collective wisdom of this forum. Being slightly impulsive, I purchased a knife...(I'm sure that will shock everyone). It was something I bought more out of curiosity than anything else, because I've lately been a bit of a sucker for old mother-of-pearl handled knives. This one, it turns out, is not exactly what I'd call dainty; it's a chunk of steel over 5 inches long when it's closed. It's functional, but rather rough--I can't tell if it was not as well-made, or if it's just been beat about a lot. The bolsters and the metal spacers between the MOP seem to be shells--at least, they look dented in a few places. The MOP is intact. The pivot pin certainly looks like a low-tech replacement.

Anyway, there is only the remains of a tang stamp, it would seem--and no lettering at all. I'm wondering if anyone recognizes this stamp (there is nothing on the pile side). I looked at everything in the pinned tang stamp thread without finding anything that matched--it's entirely possible this is European, I suppose. It looks a bit to me like a stylized "AR", but I don't know what or who that might be. And that's only a guess, anyway.

Any ideas?

Brent

I have seen similar knives referred to as "Jewish Sabbath Knife", although they usually have a single blade and sometimes the pearl is engraved with a religious saying in Hebrew. Usually made in Germany.
kj

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:29 am I have seen similar knives referred to as "Jewish Sabbath Knife", although they usually have a single blade and sometimes the pearl is engraved with a religious saying in Hebrew. Usually made in Germany.
kj

Bingo! Thank you! I'm starting to read up on them now.

I love this forum. I have yet to stump the panel...

One of the markings of Ignaz Rösler Söhne Czechoslovakia.

A small correction. I think this is an early stamp, before Czechoslovakia. Before the First World War, the city Mikulášovice / Nixdorf, where the factory was located was part of Austro-Hungary.

https://nixdorf2.estranky.cz/fotoalbum/ ... igw25.html

Right on Eustace !
You are a valuable member of this forum especially with knives of European & Russian origin.
Actually i do not know whether Bulgaria is considered to be part of "Europe" or ?? And is "Baltic" an official name for a certain geographic area ?
thank you Eustace.
kj

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 6:16 pm Right on Eustace !
You are a valuable member of this forum especially with knives of European & Russian origin.
Actually i do not know whether Bulgaria is considered to be part of "Europe" or ?? And is "Baltic" an official name for a certain geographic area ?
thank you Eustace.
kj

Thank you KJ, I appreciate it!

Geographically, the Balkan Peninsula is part of Europe. Historically, the Bulgarian Empire was the basis of the cultural development of the Slavs in Europe, creators of the Cyrillic alphabet and the first spreader of Christianity. The Church Slavonic language used by the Orthodox Church is practically Old Bulgarian.
Bulgaria is currently a member of the European Union.
The Baltics is the general name first introduced in the USSR for the former Soviet republics along the Baltic Sea: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This region also includes the Kaliningrad region of Russia.

Thank you Eustace. My knowledge of the geography and ethnicities of the area that is Eastern Europe and beyond is quite lacking.
kj

Eustace wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 5:27 pm A small correction. I think this is an early stamp, before Czechoslovakia. Before the First World War, the city Mikulášovice / Nixdorf, where the factory was located was part of Austro-Hungary.

https://nixdorf2.estranky.cz/fotoalbum/ ... igw25.html

Eustace, thank you! Your knowledge of Eastern European knife history (and Eastern European history in general) is extensive, and I appreciate your willingness to share it.