"Old Knives"

[wellington]

A wonderful old Wostenholm Wharncliffe knife there Vince :thumbup:, slim and fine. A thing I have often noticed with good mid to late Victorian penknives is the use of the 24g pins to fasten on the scales, always a sign of quality.

Here's a slightly earlier C 1850s ? exhibition quality penknife, most likely French ?, there is a partial makers mark on one pen blade, but it's impossible to read. Measuring 4" closed, carved t/shell scales, gold clam shell bolsters, pins and gold spring coverings, the back springs are file worked on the underside, the two pen blades at the opposite end to the wharncliffe master blade have through the tang long pulls.

Mick

 

[thawk]

Rick, Vince and Mick, awesome old whittlers! Thanks for the pictures of these.

 

[knowtracks]

I can see I need to post in this thread again as I am missing some beautiful knives here. This knife is not near as old or elegant as most shown here. But this Schatt is a work horse that I got real lucky in acquiring. I got him on a local auction site but the seller never stated that the blades were full, never sharpened. And the finish grind is still quite visible, mostly on the pen blade.
Schatt & Morgan closed their doors in 1932 so this knife is at least that old. Brass liners, 1 of which has been bent away from the Ebony scales, steel bolsters and a pinned shield. Long pull on the master & opposite side standard nick on the pen.
This knife is a pocket full at 3 7/8" closed, and 7" OAL. It is 7/8" at the bare end.

Dave

 

[ken erickson]

Dave,

Your Schatt & Morgan looks like it was a nice find! The long pull and clean cut swedges are a nice touch on this one.

Thanks for sharing,

Ken

 

[lambertiana]

Vince and Mick - Those whittlers are beautiful! Do you need my address so you can send them to their proper home?

Dave - That S&M master blade looks really nice. And it is one of the very few antiques that I have seen with the pen blade behind the master.

 

[RandyW]

I picked this nice CASE XX 6235 1/2 a few weeks back. Love that old red bone they used on these older XXer's..
Nothing special..but I like it..

 

[VCM3]

For a Fri. eve.

American Shear & Knife Pen

"2 5/8" closed, nickel silver bolsters and pins, brass liners, round ivory hafts, 1853 - 1914. A few nicks, pits and stains but still remains unsharpened. They somehow managed to get a fairly decent sized blade stuffed into this tiny round handle."

 

[canineforge]

I picked this up at a local gun & knife show out of a collector's grab box. He thought Connecticut Cutlery went out of business in the mid- to late-1800's?

Thought it would be fun to post and see what is known about them.

The main blade has a light swedge, looks like a post-production nail nick, and is as sharp as can be.

- Joe

 

[JatMat]

I am certainly no expert, but the main blade appears to have been replaced, the rivets do not look original and that main blade has the appearance of once being a file and just a tad short. Just my .02, but it is still a nice old knife.
Jim

 

[cutlersedge]

From the owner,
" I bought this knife knowing full well it did not appear to be a Sheffield made knife but because it was such a highly unusual pattern that neither I nor anyone I have shown it to since has ever seen before. It is a tight, snappy, well made knife that has the look and feel of a late 1800's - early 1900's German built knife. It is 3 3/4" long, brass lined, nickel silver " unusual " bolsters, tin shield, and bone hafted. I have seen three other knives bearing the Lion Cutlery Co. mark since purchasing this example, two of which were stamped Sheffield and the other stamp was identical except the word Sheffield was replaced by Germany. The single blade German stamped knife was hafted with bone identical to this one, both in color and surface treatment. The bolsters while odd appearing, are very comfortable in the hand while cutting and afford a very secure grip as I discovered while slicing some heavy, stiff, weathered manilla rope with it. Pocket wear is obviously a non issue with the shrouded tang ends; sort of a "double copperhead", but rounded and contoured to the sides as well. It was not uncommon for some early German built knives to have been stamped " Sheffield ", as it was apparently felt that Sheffield built knives afforded more "prestige" or better quality than did German stamped knives. This appears to be one such example. The only thing I can say with dead certainty about this knife is that it is the only one that I and many others more knowledgeable and experienced than myself have ever seen. "

I have one that is very similar, it appears to have been made in Germany for Belknap Hardware.

 

[canineforge]

I am certainly no expert, but the main blade appears to have been replaced, the rivets do not look original and that main blade has the appearance of once being a file and just a tad short. Just my .02, but it is still a nice old knife.
Jim

I would imagine some things have been done to this knife, and the main blade looks more homemade than production. But I am interested in learning a little about the company. I can't find out much about them. The history of the early cutlery business in the states is very intriguing to me. One can really learn a lot from some of the regulars on here.

- Joe

 

[JatMat]

Wait for ole Charlie to show up or even get Vince to ask his friend. The company may be gone, but it is not forgotten.

 

[VCM3]

Wait for ole Charlie to show up or even get Vince to ask his friend. The company may be gone, but it is not forgotten.

Here is what he sent me :thumbup: ........

This company was founded in Naugatuck just after the Civil War (1867) by three gentlemen named Lewis, Tuttle and Whittamore . The actual factory was located in Union City, just north of Naugatuck. Their principal business was cast steel shears and scissors. Later, pocket knives were addded, along with various other hardware items like hairpins, faucets, and carriage tires. At their height, the firm employed 150 workers. Homer Twitchell had received a patent for an all metal pocketknife in 1864, and was hired to manage this firm from the very beginning. Conn. Cut. Co. became the sole manufacturer of the Twitchell patent knife after 1868. Homer and his son Frank purchased the company in 1872 and ran it until 1883 when it ceased pocket knife manufacturing operations. Twitchell and Son continued producing safety pins for several years thereafter and for many years was the only safety pin manufacturer in the country. Homer Twitchell became Connecticut State Senator from 1889 - 1892.
Some other very early American knife companies who were founded in Connecticut are : Miller Bros , Meriden Knife Co , Northfield Knife Co , Southington Cutlery Co , American Shear and Knife Co , Excelsior Knife Co, Holley Manufacturing Co , Waterville Cutlery Co, and even the Collins Company, the historic maker of machetes.
Attached are a poor image of a Twitchell patent metal handled knife and an early company advertisement .

 

[canineforge]

Hey, Vince...thanks for the history lesson! I knew somebody would have some good information on this company. Appreciate you posting that!

- Joe

 

[VCM3]

Hey, Vince...thanks for the history lesson! I knew somebody would have some good information on this company. Appreciate you posting that!

- Joe

Any time Joe,you are welcome.
And thanks all,for all your contributions :thumbup:
-Vince

 

[VCM3]

From the owner of this knife & my friend...

"Scarce early Connecticut maker, 1853 - 1914, 4 1/4" closed ,very large whittler patern, nickel silver shield and bolsters, brass liners and pins, uncommonly large & thick chip and crack free tortoise hafts. Not only is this a very large unusual true whittler pattern from a well respected early American maker, it is also fairly infrequently that one finds completely intact tortoise hafts on an American built knife this old; especially as large and thick as are these. The scales measure 2 5/8" by 3/4" wide and are a full 1/8" thick and are pinned over gold foil.The knife has been carried, sharpened, and used and has a couple glaringly obvoius flaws : the 3 /16" thick main blade's flats have heavy sharpening marks, but thankfully all the edges, swedges, and corners were untouched and the blade remains virtually full, both in length and original profile. Additionally, as you can see, the tip of the coping blade has been broken off. Otherwise the knife remains in near new condition, with most all the original finish visible under a few scratches on both secondary blades. Fit, finish, and blade action are just as you'd expect them to be, with the tip of that large thick spear dropping right in between the tangs of the secondary blades with a nice solid, heavy click upon closing. As long as the main was as scratched as it was, I 've had no reservations in carrying and using the knife. It's the only whittler I own that I have to carry in my back pocket . The knife is very heavy and sharp - edged in the pocket but extremely comfortable in the hand and while cutting. Excuse the lengthy oration and image file, but this is one of my all time favorite knives

 

[VCM3]

 

[VCM3]

Ken,if you see this,here is one for ya' :thumbup:

Have a Happy Easter Everyone
Enjoy,
-Vince

 

[Will Power]

Vince, everytime I think this must be the last, there CAN'T be yet more fabulous knives out there, and your friend proves me wrong! Good thing too. Fantastic condition matched with an exceptional pattern, Tortoise too.....Thank you very much for displaying this jewel.

Question: I've noticed that with old knives,when they are open the blade is often completelty straight with the back spring,like a fixed blade .Modern knives usually 'droop' down somewhat, why is this?

 

[VCM3]

Vince, everytime I think this must be the last, there CAN'T be yet more fabulous knives out there, and your friend proves me wrong! Good thing too. Fantastic condition matched with an exceptional pattern, Tortoise too.....Thank you very much for displaying this jewel.

Question: I've noticed that with old knives,when they are open the blade is often completelty straight with the back spring,like a fixed blade .Modern knives usually 'droop' down somewhat, why is this?

Thank You & it is our pleasure
Thanks for all who contribute,as well.

Will,I think what you are observing,IMO,is case by case,as I can show many images of modern built knives where the blades seem to be a straight run off the handle

There may be more to it,though
-Vince

PS & edited in,from what I gather,there are a few more,to be shown