Shields...any preference? Or know any history on them?

[Mass1632]

I like them in order of least detail to most detail.

surprised that no one has chimed in with a history lesson yet. Perhaps it was just a way of branding early on. Perhaps its a remnant from the medieval days of heraldry.

 

[huntnfishin]

“surprised that no one has chimed in with a history lesson yet. Perhaps it was just a way of branding early on. Perhaps its a remnant from the medieval days of heraldry.”

The shields I know are the federal badge large and small, the cloud or keyhole, the waterfall, the acorn, the large and small houndstooth, the bomb (doublebomb), the bar, the mustache (?), the bollocks (queen?), the diamond, the oval...I am sure I left out a bunch...and yeah I wish I knew more history too.

 

[5K Qs]

Anyone ever see a chart with a lot of shields/names? I remember stumbling across one somewhere. I think the GEC website has one? Be great to have all the names/pics of different shields. Wish we knew more history on them.

Here's a link to the chart on the GEC website:
https://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/gec-shields/

And here's a link to a display in Knife Magazine's glossary entry for "Shield", in which several examples of various "types" of shields are shown (crest, bar, gimp, figural, etc.) but specific names for the examples are not given.
https://www.knifemagazine.com/glossary/shield/

- GT

 

[Will Power]

@Misplaced Hillbilly That Ulster Congress is a wonderful knife and shows how important the shield is to the pattern's shape.

 

[Will Power]

The history of shields seems obscure, some do look heraldic, some were used as logo bearer's for the manufacturer, others as a place for initials to be engraved but primarily as decoration or ornamentation. It also shows off a cutler's skill.

Guessing, I'd say they became commonplace in the c20th but can be seen in the c19th see the knives that were discovered when a Riverboat had sunk in the 1860s for types of knife/shield. I forget the ship's name but it was in the USA. American knives seem to have had more elaborate and varied shields than European ones in general, they appear uncommon on French or German types more so on English as they aimed for the US market.

Orleans, Gimp, Propeller are my favourites but it entirely depends on the knife pattern, I never like shields on a Barlow as they have that big bolster which may carry stampings.

 

[Railsplitter]

My favorite has always been the "Spade" shield, for lack of a better name but I rarely see them. I had Ken make two of them for me and put one on each side of the knife. I wish this shield was used more often.

 

[Will Power]

 

[Will Power]

 

[Will Power]

 

[Will Power]

 

[Will Power]

 

[Murphjd25]

I’m a big fan of these two shields myself. The diamond, and is GEC calling this one a different take on the Banner..or what is it exactly?

 

[waynorth]

This Empire shield was used exclusively by them for many years!
Late 1800s through the 1920s!
Then in the 1980s, Schrade borrowed the shape and dressed it up a bit , and advertised it as an Empire shield!! Empire was gone for about 50 years by then!!
I always liked the shape!!

 

[5K Qs]

If you like shields, you need to check out some of these previous threads on the topic.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...r-favorite-traditional-knife-shields.1612120/
and post #58 from that thread has links to 3 earlier shield threads:

@Ramrodmb did mention to me in PM that waynorth had some other "shield threads" so here is a link to those if anyone is interested

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/shields-on-display.433067/
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/the-double-bump-and-other-interesting-shields.783898/
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/3d-shields.1505890/

Thanks Mark and Thanks Charlie! Now we have a one-stop shop for all of your "Shield" needs

- GT

 

[Hickory n steel]

I just discovered that my favorite shield is the GEC Wrench shield, but sadly I'll never have one.

 

[black mamba]

Does anyone have an example of a "waterfall" shield? That's a new one on me, never heard that name for a shield before.

I'm partial to acorn shields. Been carrying this one lately.

A few more:

 

[GE Jr]

As bad as 2020 was, I believe I'm fortunate to have come by a some very cool shields that complement some equally cool knives!

The shield that my 2020 started of with (I believe there's a knife attached to it).

 

[lambertiana]

There are a lot of shields out there and most are attractive, and some work better than others depending on the pattern. There is a wide variation even for one style - lots of different federal shields, lots of different propeller shields, etc. Here are a few examples on vintage knives:

 

[sunknife]

I like a variety of shields, bomb, badge, bar, banner, federal and many others. Most important to me is that it goes well with the knife and handle material, like GEC's beaver shield on jigged wood handles. The location/placement on the knife also is important I think, like a bar shield centered on
an equal end knife. I like knives that are visually appealing to my particular taste and will pass on a knife purchase if I find the shield or other aspect of
a knife unappealing.
Looking thru my pic files I'm a bit surprised by how many different shields I have. Here is sample of just some of my variety. I think some of these may have already been shown by others so I apologize for any repeats.
View attachment 1497274 View attachment 1497276 View attachment 1497278 View attachment 1497280 View attachment 1497283 View attachment 1497284

 

[sunknife]

One other I also like is this diamond shaped shield on the rosewood handles of this Case whittler. A pretty good match for handle material, placement
and knife pattern IMO.
View attachment 1497290