"Old Knives"

lambertiana said:
I have posted this one in the past, but, given Mike's galvanic1882 galvanic1882 love for all things Utica, I will put it here. I found this in an antique shop in Niles, CA for about $30. About 5" closed, the swing guard is missing. Otherwise no signs of heavy use. Stag cut properly.
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Beautiful!!!
 
Here's what I told Steve on the Rooster thread:
Nice Lockwood Steve , it's good to see another farmers jack.😊
These later version Sheffields are indicative of having more of a brass than silver cast on the bolsters. I don't know why unless there's more copper in the alloy , but it's a common trait on many post war UK knives.
The slimness of the pruning blade makes it what the 1915 Holley catalog calls a peach pruner style . The stovepipe kick on the budding (spey) blade means most likely these were assembled from leftover old parts. I was also told this by informed older collectors who lived in the UK.

Great stuff Mike, and to think collectors used to scoff at Uticas. Beautiful knives, I love the etch.

Mike, I tried to get one of the big pearl whittlers from that collection, but I was late. Nice pruner, my kind of knife. I wish you could have seen the "Golden Age of Sheffield thread before all was lost. Such a shame, I'm still disgruntled.Micheal Critchlow ( W wellington ) was a UK collector who had exquisite knives and an expert descriptive style. You can still read about the knives, you just can't see them anymore.

I have a Joseph Allen farmers jack, but I've reached my maximum of attachments and haven't figured how to use a hosting site on this phone.

Love the swing guard L lambertiana , real nice bones and what a bargain.😊
 
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Great Posts everyone!
Well it's been some time since I have actually had time to do much sort of posting here, so I will start off with this old Carving Knife.

Please accept my apologies if carving knives bore you, to me though - this is quite special.

I have collected a few nicer older sets of Carving Knives over the years- I am not too sure why the draw towards them is so strong, perhaps the flavour of yesteryear, the Grand Stag that these sets have at times can also be quite phenomenal.

So here is a Knife that in most cases one would walk away from- probably not me as my Kitchen adorns MANY of these old knives - please let me explain about this Ol' Stag Centenarian.

I have been over to England a few times, two of those times I have the pure pleasure to met up with our fantastic friend Mr Jack Black, on one of those visits, Jack took Sue and I all around Sheffield, visiting the Older Cutlery firm Buildings, that day Jack and I went to the Museum and ended up spending the morning with Stan Shaw - that visit will stay with me quite possibly for the rest of my life, during the walk around we stopped outside my favourite Older Sheffield Cutlery Firms Building- TAYLOR EYE WITNESS, I loved it! in saying this it was sad to see just how quiet some of Sheffield's biggest Historical Companies and Buildings were today, almost forgotten.

Walking around streets that had the odd bit of Tar-Seal lifting from the old original Cobblestones that still lay under your feet , I am sure I had the taste of Carbon Steel after having such rich history soak through me that day! Just amazing!

So Since then life goes on, Sue and I uplifted our lives and shifted to a Coastal town called Napier, we love it here, and we consider ourselves Napier Citizens, so imagine my joy of find this old Taylor Eye Witness Carving Knife that had deeply etched into the Blade " A.H.WILSON (OVER) IRONMONGER (OVER) NAPIER.

Not often will you see Taylor Eye Witness have the Customers name sharing the blade- I have seen very little if any of this before - which may seem small, but to me a very interesting add to an already interesting and can I say it rare find with these combined things so close to my Heart.

7YvtO9k.jpg


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Here is Napier City's A.H.Wilson on a postcard, and some information to that postcard below....

Postcard with a view of the premises of ironmonger A H Wilson on Emerson Street in Napier.

A group of four men and a boy pose for the photograph in front of the two storey timber building. The man third from the left is thought to be John Toscan.

There is a handwritten note on the back of the postcard from John Toscan to Miss E Nurtagh dated 15 August 1907.

Photographer, unknown.
Date, 1907.
AqFJ4UL.jpg


Some more adds from this firm....

G1NoAcM.gif


SqTNP83.png


8kRKtfb.jpg


RI2MhCT.jpg


Thanks for viewing, I will place some real knives soon :)
 
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Campbellclanman said:
Great Posts everyone!
Well it's been some time since I have actually had time to do much sort of posting here, so I will start off with this old Carving Knife.

Please accept my apologies if carving knives bore you, to me though - this is quite special.

I have collected a few nicer older sets of Carving Knives over the years- I am not too sure why the draw towards them is so strong, perhaps the flavour of yesteryear, the Grand Stag that these sets have at times can also be quite phenomenal.

So here is a Knife that in most cases one would walk away from- probably not me as my Kitchen adorns MANY of these old knives - please let me explain about this Ol' Stag Centenarian.

I have been over to England a few times, two of those times I have the pure pleasure to met up with our fantastic friend Mr Jack Black, on one of those visits, Jack took Sue and I all around Sheffield, visiting the Older Cutlery firm Buildings, that day Jack and I went to the Museum and ended up spending the morning with Stan Shaw - that visit will stay with me quite possibly for the rest of my life, during the walk around we stopped outside my favourite Older Sheffield Cutlery Firms Building- TAYLOR EYE WITNESS, I loved it! in saying this it was sad to see just how quiet some of Sheffield's biggest Historical Companies and Buildings were today, almost forgotten.

Walking around streets that had the odd bit of Tar-Seal lifting from the old original Cobblestones that still lay under your feet , I am sure I had the taste of Carbon Steel after having such rich history soak through me that day! Just amazing!

So Since then life goes on, Sue and I uplifted our lives and shifted to a Coastal town called Napier, we love it here, and we consider ourselves Napier Citizens, so imagine my joy of find this old Taylor Eye Witness Carving Knife that had deeply etched into the Blade " A.H.WILSON (OVER) IRONMONGER (OVER) NAPIER.

Not often will you see Taylor Eye Witness have the Customers name sharing the blade- I have seen very little if any of this before - which may seem small, but to me a very interesting add to an already interesting and can I say it rare find with these combined things so close to my Heart.

7YvtO9k.jpg


kw8wm3A.jpg


Here is Napier City's A.H.Wilson on a postcard, and some information to that postcard below....

Postcard with a view of the premises of ironmonger A H Wilson on Emerson Street in Napier.

A group of four men and a boy pose for the photograph in front of the two storey timber building. The man third from the left is thought to be John Toscan.

There is a handwritten note on the back of the postcard from John Toscan to Miss E Nurtagh dated 15 August 1907.

Photographer, unknown.
Date, 1907.
AqFJ4UL.jpg


Some more adds from this firm....

G1NoAcM.gif


SqTNP83.png


8kRKtfb.jpg


RI2MhCT.jpg


Thanks for viewing, I will place some real knives soon :)
Click to expand...
It is nice when you get some history behind the knives you love!! The old wish "If Knives could Talk" certainly came true here!! Congrats, Duncan!! 😁
 
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Thank you Charlie. 😊👍👍

I must admit I did think twice before posting that Carving knife, let’s be honest it is simply a plain carving knife- it it wasn’t for the A.H. Wilson. Etched onto the blade.

I have had many Sheffield’s pass through my hands and haven’t seen this, I have very old Carvers that have what seems to be only the Merchants name stamped and not the actual manufacturer.

Has anyone out there in our fantastic land of Traditionals have in their possession a Taylor Eye Witness stamped knife along with the merchants name?
 
rddp said:
This boot dagger has no stamp to indicate a maker. I've had it forever and still like the proportions and feel.
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I have had a couple of these in the past.
Now from memory - ( let’s not bet our life on that one 😂) they were German, around the 50’s or 60’s?
One would be easily tempted to say Italian or French because of the tapered Handle giving it that European look.
 
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