"Made in Sheffield" 1830-1930, A golden age ?

Remarkable similarities between the two at 4 1/8"!
Two questions; is the handle pressed horn?
And how is the knife marked, Steve?
 
I think the scales are stag. The marks on the two blades and hook are John Blyde and Genius with Saturn-like planet. Clearly, a Sheffield-made knife but no Sheffield marked anywhere. Interstingly, the tang for the worm is a big block that lies across the width of both backsprings. The springs seem to be stepped, i.e., they are about 1/4 inch higher on the right side of the worm than the left, if that makes sense.
 
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I get it on the springs. An unusual arrangement that I've seen before. The texture on the stag is quite amazing. It resembles a pressed material because it is so uniform.
Thanks for answering my questions, Steve.
 
You're welcome Charlie. I'm not 100% sure about the scales. I'll post some more pics later in the week from top and bottom and perhaps these will help identify the material.
 
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Hi Charlie and Steve,

That Blyde knife is a VERY interesting pattern. The scales are definitely stag. This particular stag is usually only seen on Sheffield knives for some reason. I have heard it called "Pebble stag" and "Snakeskin stag" by various collectors in the US.

Jim Taylor.
 
Quote: "the tang for the worm "; "worm" = corkscrew ?
These multiblade Sportsman knives are wonderful. Really gets my enthusiasm up to try and find a good one on ebay. the few i've seen have opening bids in the neigbourhood of $1000, but don't sell. I really don't know what range to expect and of course each knife is unique so generalizations may not apply.
A "British Flea Market" vacation might prove better hunting grounds ?
roland
 
sebago said:
Hi Charlie and Steve,

That Blyde knife is a VERY interesting pattern. The scales are definitely stag. This particular stag is usually only seen on Sheffield knives for some reason. I have heard it called "Pebble stag" and "Snakeskin stag" by various collectors in the US.

Jim Taylor.
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Thanks Jim!
I wonder if it is from a particular species of deer? It makes a real nice handle. You don't see it that often, in my experience.
 
Hi guys, here's a pic or two showing a recent find, a Victorian period "Nautilus" fan shaped penknife, marked MARSHALL, ARGYLE ST, measures 2 3/4", it has a long(ish) sheepfoot master blade and pen blade, milled brass liners, carved pearl scales, a fileworked gilded backspring, the blade spines have very fine herringbone pattern f/w. The whole knife looks and feels best quality...almost certainly made in Sheffield, guessing for a Glasgow retailer/cutler.

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The liners and scales appear identical to the other three "Nautilus" shown earlier in this thread, this example is the only one with fileworked blades.
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Thanks for looking..Mick
 
Oh my! That's quite a remarkable knife. What a spectacular find that is.
 
What interesting filework on the blades!!
Mick, can you zero in a bit on them?
Just a beauty of a knife!!
 
Delighted you like the Nautilus Kerry, Rob, Charlie & Mike, it's a really neat little knife, I don't think it's ever been used, the work on the blade spines is just so finely done I had to get a magnifying glass to see it properly, wondered if perhaps it was done using fine chisels ?.

Charlie, I'll try and post a better closeup of the f/w tomorrow.

Mick
 
WOW! I loved the other Nautilus examples that you have shown, and this one is even better. WOW!
 
Really pleased you like the latest Nautilus lambertiana :D

waynorth said:
What interesting filework on the blades!!
Mick, can you zero in a bit on them?
Just a beauty of a knife!!
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There you go Charlie, believe it or not there are no rub/passing marks on either blade, such a tight fit too.

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Here are a few pics of another old delicate penknife/quill knife with carved pearl scales, marked XL-ALL, PARKIN & MARSHALL, SHEFFIELD 3 1/4" C mid Victorian ?, milled brass liners, the blade half opens, opens and closes with a light but sure feel, really nice quality.

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Thanks for looking..Mick
 
Thanks for the closer view, Mick. That filework pattern has quite a pleasing appearance.
Please tell me, is the line between the cuts a recessed plane along the spine of each blade, or is that an illusion??
 
waynorth said:
Thanks for the closer view, Mick. That filework pattern has quite a pleasing appearance.
Please tell me, is the line between the cuts a recessed plane along the spine of each blade, or is that an illusion??
Click to expand...

Hi Charlie, the line running between the herringbone patterns along the length of the spines, is cut in.

Mick
 
Mick, thanks for sharing another two knives from your wonderful collection.
The carving work on pearl always amazes me as it is such a brittle material to work with. Two fine examples from the Sheffield craftsman of yore.
Unusual to see such fine filework on the spine of blades, must be a rare example. Can't imagine the man hours that went into all the carving and file work to the blade spines and liners. I wonder what such a knife cost when it was made and the price relative to today.

Joe
 
wellington said:
Hi Charlie, the line running between the herringbone patterns along the length of the spines, is cut in.

Mick
Click to expand...

Neat! It's amazing to see that kind of work. Maybe it will spur on current file-workers to greater things!!
Thanks again, Mick!
 
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