What folding knife did Sherlock Holmes have?

[Jesse D.L]

ebony or stag I think, probably a jack but who's to tell.

 

[lambertiana]

I could picture him with either a swayback with lambsfoot blade, or one of those fancy sportsman's knives. Stag handle would be the best for the time.

 

[kamagong]

From The Musgrave Ritual -

Holmes is described as "...a man who keeps his cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantlepiece..."

 

[Bruce Bump]

From The Musgrave Ritual -

Holmes is described as "...a man who keeps his cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantlepiece..."

so its gotta be a Jack knife but what should it look like? :thumbup:

 

[Robert.B]

so its gotta be a Jack knife but what should it look like? :thumbup:

I reckon a swell end jackknife (spear tip blade) would be most fitting, very common used by Sheffield makers for that period that I have seen. I dont have any pics on hand though!

 

[frc505]

as i understand it a jack knife is slang for a barlow type knife so
i think that is it . i also think the basket weave damascus with aged
ivory or stag and two blades would be ideal .

frank

 

[Robert.B]

as i understand it a jack knife is slang for a barlow type knife so
i think that is it . i also think the basket weave damascus with aged
ivory or stag and two blades would be ideal .

frank

There is a thread just a few down explaining a jackknife...its just a knife thats blades open from one end only (then off that you get into patterns).

 

[frc505]

must have missed that thread thanks for the correction robert b !

frank

 

[wellington]

A fascinating thread this, I couldn't imagine old Sherlock carrying a Barlow/jack knife, more likely a fine London made sportsman's knife with plenty of tools and accessories, perhaps like this W THORNHILL & SONS, LONDON 5" sports, chequered ebony scales, twin lockback "DORROCH KNIFE", made C1880-90.

Mick

 

[Campbellclanman]

Damn!!!...thats a hell of a knife!!

 

[Jesse D.L]

wow that thing is beautiful

 

[Will Power]

It's too bad that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not go to any lengths to describe the pocket knife Holmes carried, but being the 1890's, and Sheffield still at the hight of their glory, I'd imagine it must have been a very nice one.

On screen at least, in the Jeremy Brett series produced by Granada Television, holmes was shown to be using a wharncliffe bladed knife with an outline very much like a humpback

Carl.

Saw the same episode myself when they showed it over here in Scandiland a few months ago :thumbup: Wharncliffe was scraping something or other.

My money is on a stag handled Norfolk, possibly a Whittler version so he could ream the pipe and chop up some then non illegal drugs

The OP could look through the Old Knives thread for a wealth of pix or Mick's superb Sheffield a Golden Age 1830-1930, much choice material to chew over there.

 

[eisman]

Holmes was fairly dependant on Watson for weaponry, and a Doctors folder, with a lancet blade, would very well fit with the type of vest pocket knife a person with his habits would use.

 

[comoha]

Ha! My wife and I just watched the new Sherlock Holmes movie last night. Since its all just a guess, I am going to go with a Sheffield stag handled jack with lambsfoot blade. Similar to the one they discovered on George Mallory's body on Mt. Everest in 1999. It's seems a proper English gentleman-adventurer's blade.

 

[ptradeco]

A fascinating thread this, I couldn't imagine old Sherlock carrying a Barlow/jack knife, more likely a fine London made sportsman's knife with plenty of tools and accessories, perhaps like this W THORNHILL & SONS, LONDON 5" sports, chequered ebony scales, twin lockback "DORROCH KNIFE", made C1880-90.

Mick

I think Mick is on to something here but the knife would have to have been bespoke. Custom from the ground up, possibly from one of the bespoke gun makers. I know that Holland & Holland and Westley Richards did a few for clients, mostly for safari outfitting I imagine, and probably a few others, but they may have been contracted out. I have some pictures of an ivory handled folder and a fixed blade that came with a H&H double rifle somewhere. I will post these when I can locate them.

 

[tomcrx]

I knew that wellington would eventually come up with the answer That is a beautiful knife. I just imagine Holmes with something similar but smaller maybe in the 4" range

 

[VCM3]

I think Mick is on to something here but the knife would have to have been bespoke. Custom from the ground up, possibly from one of the bespoke gun makers. I know that Holland & Holland and Westley Richards did a few for clients, mostly for safari outfitting I imagine, and probably a few others, but they may have been contracted out. I have some pictures of an ivory handled folder and a fixed blade that came with a H&H double rifle somewhere. I will post these when I can locate them.

And I'll add,Brad & all,from what I have seen from Bruce,not in person,though,the man is up to the task . The idea he is brainstorming this one,with this thread,well,basically,I bet if he goes this route it'll be World Class & WAAAAAY over the top
-Vince

 

[kamagong]

A fascinating thread this, I couldn't imagine old Sherlock carrying a Barlow/jack knife, more likely a fine London made sportsman's knife with plenty of tools and accessories, perhaps like this W THORNHILL & SONS, LONDON 5" sports, chequered ebony scales, twin lockback "DORROCH KNIFE", made C1880-90.

Mick

I think that's an excellent possibility. I think you and Jackknife are both correct that Holmes' knife would have been Sheffield-made. Also, the main blade's shape is just right for sticking a stack of papers onto the woooden mantlepiece.

Beautiful knife.

- Christian

 

[waynorth]

Holmes was an odd mixture of sophisticated and disheveled. Drug addiction also provided a chapter in his life.
While a sophisticated knife was possible, I think a simple one-bladed Jack was more likely his style, especially given its abuse as a letter spike!
I see something like this;
Made in Winsted, CT. close to the right time period, by Sheffield born and trained makers, it incorporates the details of the time. The blade/spring joint is flush in both positions, concealed slightly by the extended lips of the bolsters. The high tang attests to this.
Ivory was a material of the times, again attested by the very old patina on this one. The swedges are cut all the way back the the plunge. Bar shield, hammered steel pins all add to it.
Brass liners and nickel bolsters are the only things I'm not convinced of, as being timely. Perhaps someone is more versed on when the appearance of those materials occurred.
This is a simple Jackknife of goodly size, at 3 3/4".

I see Holmes as too distracted by his thought processes to care a lot about sophisticated tools or cutlery. And it's hard to use your Jack to clean out your pipe, if it's holding up your correspondence!
As beautiful as Mick's knife is, something like this Ivory Jack seems to fit the picture of Holmes ordered-yet-cluttered life.

 

[Triq]

Maybe blades like this

in with a shape and material like this?