All About Pocket Knives

The very first few knives that I collected were made in England, the workmanship and quality of them impressed me at a very early age. As time went on and as the sickness got worse and worse I realized that I kept coming back to collecting the early English made folding and fixed blade knives.

They used the best stag, pearl, ivory, etc. for the handles and really knew how to make a quality knife, they were on top of their game! The best cutlers that worked in the early years of American cutlery came from England and taught Americans how to make a quality knife.

Let's see your folders, fixed blade, razors, scribes, ink erasers or any other items including ephemera from England.

Please only post OLD, pre 1960 made stuff, the older the better!

Here's some to get started that I really like

Miller Bro's wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:15 am The.....

Those are some real BEAUTIES, Dimitri!
I don't have any.

I posted this one last week, only Brit I have on file, will try to remember to photo some more tomorrow. IXL farmer's jack

Very nice knives, Dimitri.

I'll try to get some pictures in here.
I lost all my knife pictures so I'll have to get into my knives and oil up the ol' camera.

Good thread!

Great thread! Can't wait to see what's coming. J.O'.

Cool thread D. and a beautiful group of knives!, i agree,,,,Quality !! , did you mean pre 1960 .....or 1860 ?

Excellent thread Dimitri. This was posted in the Wharncliffe thread a while back. British for sure.
Found this 2 1/2" closed (62mm). Wharncliffe whittler. All 3 blades are stamped G crown R CONGREVE PATENT. It has carved Tortoise shell handles and scalloped liners. It's very fragile, with a couple of cracks in the deeper carved grooves of the shell. Levine's book dates this 1829 - 1843. I'm wondering about the word Patent in the stamping?

Another Britt from my whittler collection JONATHAN CROOKS with the Hart & Pistol logo. 3 9/16" closed

Very nice ! interesting the one has a patent, i wonder for what ?

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:13 am Those are some real BEAUTIES, Dimitri!
I don't have any.

Thank you Skip!

Gunsil wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:31 am I posted this one last week, only Brit I have on file, will try to remember to photo some more tomorrow. IXL farmer's jack

Very nice, and exactly what I am talking about with the beautiful stag handles

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 3:01 am Great thread! Can't wait to see what's coming. J.O'.

Sit back and get a bowl of popcorn ready!

wiseguy wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 3:15 am Cool thread D. and a beautiful group of knives!, i agree,,,,Quality !! , did you mean pre 1960 .....or 1860 ?

Wow! talk about the king of antique switchblade knives!! Very rare and desirable old knife!

1860 is much better than 1960

1fartsmella wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 3:54 am Excellent thread Dimitri. This was posted in the Wharncliffe thread a while back. British for sure.
Found this 2 1/2" closed (62mm). Wharncliffe whittler. All 3 blades are stamped G crown R CONGREVE PATENT. It has carved Tortoise shell handles and scalloped liners. It's very fragile, with a couple of cracks in the deeper carved grooves of the shell. Levine's book dates this 1829 - 1843. I'm wondering about the word Patent in the stamping?

Very nice Barry!

I like unusual, old and patented knives. This one ticks all those boxes!

The patent refers to the design of the knife, I discussed this on another thread recently, you could register a design of a particular knife and would be issued a Registered Design Patent RD followed by the patent office number, they did not have enough room to put the RD number on this knife so just used patent. The design patent is obviously the unique handle and liner design!



See here:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=19895&start=840

1fartsmella wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 4:02 am Another Britt from my whittler collection JONATHAN CROOKS with the Hart & Pistol logo. 3 9/16" closed

Very nice, and from an early quality maker

FRJ wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:38 am Very nice knives, Dimitri.

I'll try to get some pictures in here.
I lost all my knife pictures so I'll have to get into my knives and oil up the ol' camera.

Good thread!

Thanks Joe!

Can't wait to see what you come up with, you have some beautiful old knives!

Ahh! Merry Olde England! My 5th Great Grandfather John Cooke and his wife-to-be, from Scotland, were kidnapped from London in 1766 or '67 and sold into indenture in Virginia Colony. They worked their time out, married and settled on Bounty land he was granted for his service in the Revolution.
1) RODGERS< LOCKWOOD BROS< JAS.WADE< CORSIN,DENTIN,BURDEKIN(c.1860) Flanks: FURNESS
2) VOM CLEF< WOSTENHOLM
3) WADE & BUTCHER
4) BORWICK< UNKNOWN
5) WOSTENHOLM< RODGERS< IBBERSON< CURRY
6) WADE-WIGFIELD-ROWBOTHAM< SAYNOR< HEMBY & MIDDLETON< WOSTENHOLM< VULCAN
7) UNKNOWN< SAYNOR< RODGERS
J.O".

Great looking knives so far! I love that warm, worn stag and the popcorn stag that goes all the way to the edges on Sheffield knives. Here's a small IXL. Beautiful knives Barry, as usual.

I'm not really a razor guy, but this IXL is one of my favorites. Pressed cowhorn scales, great etch.

James Barber wharncliff whittler, IXL crown jack, IXL whittler, gotta dig out some good old Brit fixes blades.

What a great looking showing of knives.

Joseph Rodgers

Fulton Cutlery

George Wostenholm

Blackwell

Bennett & Heron

Dang, Joe! I was just getting ready to post a couple of pics, but I can't follow that act. Great looking knives!

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:15 pm Ahh! Merry Olde England! My 5th Great Grandfather John Cooke and his wife-to-be, from Scotland, were kidnapped from London in 1766 or '67 and sold into indenture in Virginia Colony. They worked their time out, married and settled on Bounty land he was granted for his service in the Revolution.

J.O".

Nice assortment of knives, J.O., and an even better synopsis of family history. Amazing!

Great knives in this thread from everyone, really enjoying it.

Thanks Ike. I have the whole story in a book of Wyoming County,WV history. They were a group of kids on a boat excursion on the Thames river on a Sunday afternoon and were Shanghaied. Absolutely stunning story. Here's a snippet. J.O'.

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Fri Mar 12, 2021 10:49 pm Thanks Ike. I have the whole story in a book of Wyoming County,WV history. They were a group of kids on a boat excursion on the Thames river on a Sunday afternoon and were Shanghaied. Absolutely stunning story. Here's a snippet. J.O'.

You are correct, it is absolutely stunning, an amazing bit of history. You have quite a family legacy, thanks for the followup!

Incidentally, if you are a reader, you might find a Ken Follet book, "A place Called Freedom" of interest. Follett has written many historical novels, (I have read most), this one is of a young Scot who goes to London and ends up as an indentured servant in Virginia. The circumstances that took him there, not exactly the same, but it gives a good account of what the experience would have been like.

Excellent knives everyone!

Here's a couple fixed blades.....