Berlin Germany Antique Market Find

C Bryant

C Bryant

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
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3,149
My girlfriend just got back from spending a week in Berlin. While she was there she was wandering through an street antique market and found this knife and brought it back for me!

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The gentleman who sold it to her did not speak much English, but he was able to communicate enough to tell her it was old, was hand made, and was very adamant that she not get it wet. I'm guessing that was the only way he could describe to her that the blade is high carbon steel.

It is 11" overall with about a 5 1/4" very thin blade. There are definite forge marks on the blade as well as a nice patina. It looks to have been forged from a piece of round stock. The handle is (I'm guessing deer) antler tip, no pins into the tang though. Which makes me a little worried about how deep the tang goes into the antler. I can see a bit of glue or some kind of adhesive so I hope it holds strong. It has a very very thin unsharpened edge. I can hardly see the grind at all, but it is there.

I'm going to sharpen it up and stash it with my camping gear to be used as kitchen/eating knife.

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Very cool :thumbup: looks very rustic. I have an old german knife too, and It is also very thin and has a similar grind. Maybe that is a trend in older german knives.
 
Man that's a great score, what a cool girlfriend ya have to pick that out !!!!!
 
Someplace around here I have a larger version of that knife that is a carver, along with a matching sharpening steel. My parents had received it as a wedding gift in 1948.
 
You could take a magnet and check along the handle to find out exactly how far the tang goes.
 
The tang is a short rat-tail about 2-3" in length, depending on how old it is, it could be cutlers rozin or simple glue. If it starts to slipjust pull the blade, and expoy it:).
 
Cool !
I have an old german knife too - it has a thin stainless blade and the handle is from the leg of a deer.I should make a picture of it...
 
mtnfolk mike said:
man.. what a cool score...:thumbup: i bet you were stoked...:)
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Heck yeah I was. She handed me the package and said I wanted to bring you back something I know you would like, and I knew right away because of the long narrow package it had to be a knife. I was way stoked!
 
I believe it is a knife designed to skin deer, they use the antler tine to seperate the hide from the muscle so as not to cut the hide with the blade. A good thin working blade much like a fillet knife.
Your lady show good judgement and taste, keep training her and she may be a keeper!
 
Swampdog said:
I believe it is a knife designed to skin deer, they use the antler tine to seperate the hide from the muscle so as not to cut the hide with the blade. A good thin working blade much like a fillet knife.
Your lady show good judgement and taste, keep training her and she may be a keeper!
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That makes some pretty good sense. The antler would be perfect for separating the hide.

I put a little bit of an edge on it last night, it is a great slicer! That thin blade is great.
 
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