A little something from England

[Gollnick]

Among the addtions to my collection from Bladeshow was a little balisong that caught my eye. It has strange markings on the handles that look like some sort of code. The dealer explained to me that they are English hallmarks. Well, of course they are. I'd just never seen them on the side of a balisong before and I'd never seen them lined up in quite that way. But, the form of the balisong handle forces them to be lined up.

I bought the piece but left it with the dealer so that she could research the hallmarks for me. Here's the report:

It was
made by William Morton. He was granted his trademark by the Sheffield Assay
Office on 7/24/1885. The knife was made (according to the small letter "d")
in 1896. His premises were located at the OLD ROCKINGHAM WORKS: 175
Rockingham Street in Sheffield.

English hallmarks are very well documented. This balisong clearly was made in Sheffield, England in 1896. It's just one more bit of evidence that the balisong was not invented in Batangas in the Philippines in 1905 as others seem to feel.

I'll post pictures of this one and of a few other really old ones shortly.




------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com

 

[Quijebo]

Just out of curiosity, what price range is something like this worth??

Also, is this the oldest documented balisong now, or are their older ones in existence??

 

[Gollnick]

I paid $125 for that piece. The handles are solid siver and it's in excellent condition.

I have one that will also be on the site shortly (yes, I know I've been saying that for some time now, but I'm planning a big photo shot this weekend) that is tang-stamped "D.R.G.M (over) 1867". D.R.G.M. would indicate Germany and 1867 would make this the oldest balisong I have personally seen. Again, the certainly shatters any claims that
the balisong originated in the Philippines in the early 1900s.

You can read more about my ongoing quest to discover the history of the balisong at
http://www.balisongcollector.com/history.html



------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com