Touchmark Identification c.1600s European Folding Pocketknife

M

Mitchell Lusignan

Joined
Sep 1, 2019
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2
Hello everyone,

I wanted to see if anyone could help identify the touchmark ( +o+ ) on this c.1600s folding pocket knife with horn handle found along the Main River near Frankfurt, Germany. It's believed to be a soldier's knife from the 30 Years War in Central Europe per the antique shop owner where the knife was bought (Antique shop in Amsterdam).

Photos of knife here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DZ8VdNuVJfw7qOdnH9iP0kfVbyFGjjQF?usp=sharing

Thanks for the help,

Mitch
 
Very interesting, is it folding though?

A close-up of the tang area could be useful as there seems to be a mark there as well?
 
It's a trademark on the blade. It is certainly registered, knowing the love of Germans for registration and archives. Contact someone in Solingen, they may find a trace in the register of corporations with all the trademarks.
Just a hint, some Thiers registrations can be traced up to the Renaissance, so don't lose hope.
 
Wonderful example. As you may know, the knife shown was part of an eating set which would have included a fork. Those sets, both fixed and folding, were carried by European soldiers and travelers primarily during the 17th through 19th centuries. England, France, and Germany were the main producers of such sets and often copied each other in various styles. Given that your knife was found in Germany and has a typical German blade shape for that time, it was most likely made in Germany. No such touch marks are seen in a Sheffield directory from the mid 1700s. From the reference materials I have, I would estimate your knife to date from the late 1600s to mid 1700s. Enclosed is an illustration from a German catalog from 1789 which shows a similar (fixed blade) knife along side the matching fork.

View attachment 1189215
 
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