- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 69,249
Posters who have been here a long time may recall that I spent a lot of time travelling around looking for pointy treasure in the past, and that periodically I'd work through all the stuff I'd accumulated on my kitchen table as a result of my travels. Example 
Eventually, I just couldn't keep up with the stuff on the table, and so I cleared it off into a couple of large boxes. As I feared, it was a question of out of sight, out of mind, and my 'Virtual Table' threads became more infrequent
Example
(Lots more of that kind of stuff here if you're interested)
It's been absolutely ages since I cleaned up any knives, but prompted by
r8shell
today in the EDC thread, and since I was oiling and Ren Waxing a few of my knives in storage anyway, I thought I'd cherry-pick a few easy ones 
I have absolutely no recollection of when or where I bought any of these knives, save that I picked them up in Yorkshire, in about the past 6 years
This 1952 Ibberson Lobster looks like it has barely been opened, let alone abused, and my guess is that the tip of the main blade was damaged by being dropped by a butter-fingered oaf
This Ibberson Sleeveboard was made the previous year. I love that 'Sheffield Make' mark, not unique to Ibberson's, but so Sheffield
A have a few MOP Penknives by Green & Green, and they made a good knife
Came quite rusty, and still needs a bit more work
The pristine MOP on this one belied the very rusty blades within, and again, I need to do a bit more work on it. I had to consult BRL on the pattern, which he describes as a Serpentine Sleeveboard Lobster. I got a surprise when I got a magnifying glass out, and discovered that it was made by Ulster
Not sure how it found its way over here
Not the only traveller included either, as there was also this Remington, the second of that pattern I've picked up here
This isn't MOP on this old Sheffield Penknife, it's celluloid
No maker on this George VI Coronation Penknife either. Based on the tang marks, my guess, if I had to make one, would be Thomas Turner
These small Czech grooming tools come in various similar patterns, and were made in the 1920's. Only the blade has a spring, with the accessory tools, which sometimes include an ear-spoon, opening and closing with friction. The scales are simple strips of celluloid, without any form of lining. They were very cheap knives, and not too uncommon. I've never seen a mark on any of them.
You may know the song by The Clash , but this is Jenny Jones, rather than Janey Jones, a Welsh icon, and there was a song about her too! Jenny proved a popular choice for the tiny souvenir penknives produced by Richards of Sheffield, the sort of things kids brought home for granny after a week at the seaside in Llandudno or Porthcawl The earliest of Richards picture knives were hand-coloured by the same lady, but are quite delicate, particularly the tiny ones, which are not completely lined. This makes them difficult to maintain, since oil soaks into the picture, and ruins it. Sadly, as time progressed, Jenny Jones was replaced, on a range of Richards patterns, with a generic Welsh lady, and the days of hand-colouring were long gone 
If you've not yet seen a blade like this first one, don't worry, you will! Plenty of stupid people in the world unfortunately I've even seen penknives with holes blown in both blades! 
Hopefully, granny made it!
Have a great Halloween folks
Eventually, I just couldn't keep up with the stuff on the table, and so I cleared it off into a couple of large boxes. As I feared, it was a question of out of sight, out of mind, and my 'Virtual Table' threads became more infrequent
Example (Lots more of that kind of stuff here if you're interested
)It's been absolutely ages since I cleaned up any knives, but prompted by
r8shell
today in the EDC thread, and since I was oiling and Ren Waxing a few of my knives in storage anyway, I thought I'd cherry-pick a few easy ones
I have absolutely no recollection of when or where I bought any of these knives, save that I picked them up in Yorkshire, in about the past 6 years
This 1952 Ibberson Lobster looks like it has barely been opened, let alone abused, and my guess is that the tip of the main blade was damaged by being dropped by a butter-fingered oaf
This Ibberson Sleeveboard was made the previous year. I love that 'Sheffield Make' mark, not unique to Ibberson's, but so Sheffield
A have a few MOP Penknives by Green & Green, and they made a good knife
Came quite rusty, and still needs a bit more work
The pristine MOP on this one belied the very rusty blades within, and again, I need to do a bit more work on it. I had to consult BRL on the pattern, which he describes as a Serpentine Sleeveboard Lobster. I got a surprise when I got a magnifying glass out, and discovered that it was made by Ulster
Not sure how it found its way over here
Not the only traveller included either, as there was also this Remington, the second of that pattern I've picked up here
This isn't MOP on this old Sheffield Penknife, it's celluloid
No maker on this George VI Coronation Penknife either. Based on the tang marks, my guess, if I had to make one, would be Thomas Turner
These small Czech grooming tools come in various similar patterns, and were made in the 1920's. Only the blade has a spring, with the accessory tools, which sometimes include an ear-spoon, opening and closing with friction. The scales are simple strips of celluloid, without any form of lining. They were very cheap knives, and not too uncommon. I've never seen a mark on any of them.
You may know the song by The Clash , but this is Jenny Jones, rather than Janey Jones, a Welsh icon, and there was a song about her too!
Jenny proved a popular choice for the tiny souvenir penknives produced by Richards of Sheffield, the sort of things kids brought home for granny after a week at the seaside in Llandudno or Porthcawl The earliest of Richards picture knives were hand-coloured by the same lady, but are quite delicate, particularly the tiny ones, which are not completely lined. This makes them difficult to maintain, since oil soaks into the picture, and ruins it. Sadly, as time progressed, Jenny Jones was replaced, on a range of Richards patterns, with a generic Welsh lady, and the days of hand-colouring were long gone
If you've not yet seen a blade like this first one, don't worry, you will! Plenty of stupid people in the world unfortunately
I've even seen penknives with holes blown in both blades! Hopefully, granny made it!
Have a great Halloween folks
