A Tale of Two or Likely Three Cities.

[smiling-knife]

I found this Kirby Beard & Co. penknife. Kirby, Beard was a Birmingham based company mostly known for making pins, needles and razors. The company had a retail outlet in Paris. This knife was made specifically for the French market. Most likely made in Sheffield around early 1900s for sale in the Paris shop. The Birmingham factory was hit by a bomb in 1940. The company never recovered after the war.

[/IMG]

 

[knowtracks]

history and pictures s-k!!
That has to be a scarce breed right there!!

Dave

 

[afishhunter]

Nice find. It looks to be in great shape, with lots of life left in those blades.

 

[Jack Black]

Fantastic find S-K Thanks for this thread, fascinating stuff

 

[Will Power]

Very interesting piece of detective work, nice original art work too. Significant that they adapted themselves and stamped the tang Angleterre rather than England, can't have been too common.

Thanks, Will

 

[totkst1]

Thanks for sharing the history and photos

 

[Peregrin]

Very interesting, SK. That's a nice memento of a long gone company.

 

[waynorth]

Nice knife find, with wonderful back-up paperwork!
Thanks for showing it to us s-k!!

 

[Cambertree]

Great post, S-K, thanks for putting it together.

That last scan of the image of the whole bomb damaged factory complex is really fascinating.

Congratulations on that fine piece.

 

[herder]

Very nice pen knife and great history and graphics to accompany it!!!
Quite interesting to see "Fabricated in England" stamped in French on the blade tang.

 

[smiling-knife]

Thanks very much for the kind comments everyone.