Old silver penknife.........any ideas please...?

Chui

Chui

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
Messages
3,064
Just wondered if anyone had any ideas as to this wee one please.....?


LR%20-%2001.jpg



LR%20-%2003.jpg



LR%20-%2002.jpg
 
It's a fruit knife, I think. Why the taste of silver tarnish was preferred to that of steel oxidation, I don't know. Except the silver tarnish comes off pretty easily, especially if one has people to see to it.
You can date it and place it from those hallmarks.
 
Paul, Simon Lytton is the fruit knife expert. You need to ask him. He is in Hemel Hempstead, I will try and get you his contact details.
 
OK obviously the hall-marks are Sheffield and the year letter probably Victorian - 1901? but you need to look that up on the Net. What's interesting for me are two points: the file-work on the back is nice but odd given that silver is such a soft metal and the secondary 'blade' or tool looks curious. Some kind of pick or stoner for fruits? But again, silver being so soft...a nice piece of craftsmanship though.

Thanks, Will
 
Will Power said:
OK obviously the hall-marks are Sheffield and the year letter probably Victorian - 1901? but you need to look that up on the Net. What's interesting for me are two points: the file-work on the back is nice but odd given that silver is such a soft metal and the secondary 'blade' or tool looks curious. Some kind of pick or stoner for fruits? But again, silver being so soft...a nice piece of craftsmanship though.

Thanks, Will
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Hi Will, Yes the secondary is a seedpick.

Best regards

Robin
 
Nice knife Chui, just do an online search on silver hallmarks, and you'll be able to find out the maker and year of manufacture. It's very straightforward, a shame it's not so easy to date other knives! :thumbup:
 
Will Power said:
OK obviously the hall-marks are Sheffield and the year letter probably Victorian - 1901? but you need to look that up on the Net. What's interesting for me are two points: the file-work on the back is nice but odd given that silver is such a soft metal and the secondary 'blade' or tool looks curious. Some kind of pick or stoner for fruits? But again, silver being so soft...a nice piece of craftsmanship though.

Thanks, Will
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The spring is usually made from steel. The much harder and sometimes somewhat corroded material tends to wear the blade tang. As a result many of these knives have the blade tip exposed.
Wolfe
 
wolfeknives said:
The spring is usually made from steel. The much harder and sometimes somewhat corroded material tends to wear the blade tang. As a result many of these knives have the blade tip exposed.
Click to expand...

Good point Wolfe, I see an awful lot of these knives on my travels, and of the ones I see more of them have their tips sitting proud than not, that or the blades just flop about completely.
 
- many thanks guys :thumbup: :)

I'll look it up on the 'net...
 
wolfeknives said:
The spring is usually made from steel. The much harder and sometimes somewhat corroded material tends to wear the blade tang. As a result many of these knives have the blade tip exposed.
Wolfe
Click to expand...

I expect you must be right, but the filework does look worn-down or faint so I assumed the springs were silver too to avoid wearing the blade-tang. You certainly don't get much snap or W&T on those sterling fruit knives mind:D

I'm also struck by those bulbous projections on the side of the handles, thought it was MOP but those humps look intriguing.:confused:

Thanks, Will
 
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