What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

Old Engineer said:
I believe that Squire Elijah Oates would have been very happy to know that some of his knives were still around after 130 years . I think that it is great shape my friend .

Harry
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It is amazing that there are still some floating around. I wonder how many were made.
waynorth said:
Nice old, ancient Barlow, Rachel!! I love those Oates-marked knives!!
Nice New Ancient, lavishmammal!!! I love those TC-marked knives!!
:D:D
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:D:thumbsup:
 
r8shell said:
Speaking of integral bolsters...:) This S E Oates & Son came in the mail today. It's in poor shape, but didn't cost much either, so I figured it was worth a risk. I don't know if it's authentic, but it does have integral bolsters and looks like pictures I've seen. There's no "England" stamped on the blade, but perhaps it's been sharpened away? :confused:
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I do not know if I can answer your question on the " ENGLAND " stamp or not r8shell r8shell but here is an old picture that I took of my SEO&S with my 77 Barlow that will show you where mine is stamped and you can compare it with yours .

I kind of think that yours may be older than mine even though mine also has Integral Bolsters .

Harry
 
Old Engineer said:
I do not know if I can answer your question on the " ENGLAND " stamp or not r8shell r8shell but here is an old picture that I took of my SEO&S with my 77 Barlow that will show you where mine is stamped and you can compare it with yours .

I kind of think that yours may be older than mine even though mine also has Integral Bolsters .

Harry
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Thanks for posting the picture, Harry. I'm looking closely and I don't think mine ever had an England stamp. I have the feeling mine is older too, but I can't claim any knowledge to base that on. o_O
 
r8shell said:
Thanks for posting the picture, Harry. I'm looking closely and I don't think mine ever had an England stamp. I have the feeling mine is older too, but I can't claim any knowledge to base that on. o_O
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Maybe Mr. H herder could join in with his opinion on a closer date , but I expect that yours is pre 1891 .

Harry
 
Here’s my first 14 TC barlow. This one came to me from England. So it’s crossed the pond twice in three years. The seller even had the tube and pin. I had to wait two weeks while it made the post office trip. It’s a user, but man do I love the covers. Etch is still present on both sides of the blade as this was a “PPP”. It’s 1 of 59 with the copperhead sawcut covers.
 

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Fox79 said:
Here’s my first 14 TC barlow. This one came to me from England. So it’s crossed the pond twice in three years. The seller even had the tube and pin. I had to wait two weeks while it made the post office trip. It’s a user, but man do I love the covers. Etch is still present on both sides of the blade as this was a “PPP”. It’s 1 of 59 with the copperhead sawcut covers.
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Congrats - one of my favorite covers.
 
Old Engineer said:
I do not know if I can answer your question on the " ENGLAND " stamp or not r8shell r8shell but here is an old picture that I took of my SEO&S with my 77 Barlow that will show you where mine is stamped and you can compare it with yours .

I kind of think that yours may be older than mine even though mine also has Integral Bolsters .

Harry
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That's another fine old Oates Barlow, Old Engineer.
I would normally be a bit hesitant to suggest that any English knife without an "England" stamp would automatically date to pre-1891. While that was a United States requirement at that time, it was not a requirement for anywhere else in the world including all of Europe and Canada. So, old English knives found in this country without an "England" stamp certainly could have been brought over individually from Europe or Canada which could date to after 1891. But in the case of the Oates Barlow, documents show that those knives were being imported into the United States at least as early as the 1870s. So, it could be assumed that Oates Barlow knives without an "England" stamp could date to pre-1891, and those with an "England" stamp would date to after that time. The last evidence I can find for an Oates Barlow advertised is 1904, and I would be surprised if they were around much past that time. Between the Sheffield cutlery problems, the influx of so many cheaper German-made Barlow models, and American-made Barlow knives, I think the Oates Barlows just ran out of road by the early 1900s. Here is what I believe to be another pre-1891 Oates Barlow along with the last advertisement I can find for one in 1904.

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herder said:
That's another fine old Oates Barlow, Old Engineer.
I would normally be a bit hesitant to suggest that any English knife without an "England" stamp would automatically date to pre-1891. While that was a United States requirement at that time, it was not a requirement for anywhere else in the world including all of Europe and Canada. So, old English knives found in this country without an "England" stamp certainly could have been brought over individually from Europe or Canada which could date to after 1891. But in the case of the Oates Barlow, documents show that those knives were being imported into the United States at least as early as the 1870s. So, it could be assumed that Oates Barlow knives without an "England" stamp could date to pre-1891, and those with an "England" stamp would date to after that time. The last evidence I can find for an Oates Barlow advertised is 1904, and I would be surprised if they were around much past that time. Between the Sheffield cutlery problems, the influx of so many cheaper German-made Barlow models, and American-made Barlow knives, I think the Oates Barlows just ran out of road by the early 1900s. Here is what I believe to be another pre-1891 Oates Barlow along with the last advertisement I can find for one in 1904.

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Thank you, my friend. I appreciate your input, and this clarifies things for me.

I always enjoy seeing advertisement pictures to compare with an old, sometimes well worn knife.
 
herder said:
That's another fine old Oates Barlow, Old Engineer.
I would normally be a bit hesitant to suggest that any English knife without an "England" stamp would automatically date to pre-1891. While that was a United States requirement at that time, it was not a requirement for anywhere else in the world including all of Europe and Canada. So, old English knives found in this country without an "England" stamp certainly could have been brought over individually from Europe or Canada which could date to after 1891. But in the case of the Oates Barlow, documents show that those knives were being imported into the United States at least as early as the 1870s. So, it could be assumed that Oates Barlow knives without an "England" stamp could date to pre-1891, and those with an "England" stamp would date to after that time. The last evidence I can find for an Oates Barlow advertised is 1904, and I would be surprised if they were around much past that time. Between the Sheffield cutlery problems, the influx of so many cheaper German-made Barlow models, and American-made Barlow knives, I think the Oates Barlows just ran out of road by the early 1900s. Here is what I believe to be another pre-1891 Oates Barlow along with the last advertisement I can find for one in 1904.
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A very good explanation. The catalog illustration leads to some interesting speculation. Perhaps the company issuing the catalog sent the engraver an example from old stock, or it may well be that some details were omitted by the engravers for the sake of clarity (as the S.E. Oates name is also omitted). It may also be possible that the printing plates had simply not been updated to reflect the change of marking.
 
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