Winterbottom Jigged bone

Codger_64

Codger_64

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Have you ever wondered about the origin of a style of bone jigging? Here is what I found about the Queen/Schatt & Morgan/Imperial style called "Winterbottom". It was not bone left in the bottom of the pile at the end of a long winter.

Winterbottom bone was made in Egg Harbor, New Jersey by Samuel Winterbottom, founder of Winterbottom Cutlery Works. Samual Winterbottom was born in 1857, the son of a bone cutter in Sheffield England. He left Sheffield in 1885 and came to Philadelphia where he sold window glass and glazed windows. Before 1890, he moved to Egg Harbor, New Jersey, and brought his wife and sons over from England. In 1890, he opened Winterbottom Carter, his first shop. Samuel was the craftsman and Carter ran the office, and eventually Winterbottom's four sons joined the business. When the U.S. entered the first World War in 1917, they began making handles for knives and bayonets. Carter, a Quaker, would have nothing to do with weapons and left.

Most of the work was done by hand until this time, but with heavy orders for handles, the brothers designed and built machines that supplied 125 men with materials six days a week. After the war ended, the brothers continued making handles from bone, wood, celluloid, and other materials for many cutlery companies including Schatt & Morgan, Queen, Imperial, Camillus, Cattaraugus, Ka-Bar, and about a dozen more. It was during this time that the "Winterbottom" style of bone jigging developed at the Winterbottom Cutlery Works. The business was sold in 1968, after plastics took the place of bone.


Codger
 
I have a Queen Winterbottom and it's a great knife:

8c_1_bWinCE.jpg


I also have an unmarked folding hunter similar to the one you're showing, but I have never found out who made it:

cb_1_b.jpg
 
The one I posted is a queen on eBay right now, estimated '50s-'60s I think.

BRL's article is one of the sources I found for this. I like the Winterbottom style in some of the lighter colors, though I don't have one. I do believe I've seen some bone Imperials with that style jigging.

Codger
 
Redshanks, your top knife is actually winterbottom delrin, 1990's era. Your bottom knife is a Queen too, with real winterbottom bone....from about 1960 to about 1971, Queen did not use tang stamps, only blade etches, and the etches would of course wear off....since yours is real bone, it dates to the early 60's.

Codger, as far as I know, winterbottom bone was only used by Queen, Case (rare), and Utica (also rare)....I have seen and owned may bone handle Imperials 1920's 1930's era, and all that I have seen have had conventional jigged brown bone handles.

I think that the Winterbottom company actually offered a number of bone stlyes, we just know the "Queen" style as "Winterbottom", probably since its distinctive and they were the biggest user.
 
Thank you knifeaholic. Suppose I could impose on you to educate us further in jigging styles? I know I could use it, and I am sure it is a subject most here would enjoy as well. Often, sellers on ebay try to describe jigging and I know it is wrong. I think that you probably have most of the styles handy, and if not another member does.

Codger
 
Thanks for identifying that folding hunter knifeaholic. I was just getting used to the idea of it being a good $30 knife of unknown make, now it's a Queen. :)
 
Interesting do you feel the KABAR baby griz is a fake since it is in winterbottom? LT
 
lt632ret said:
Interesting do you feel the KABAR baby griz is a fake since it is in winterbottom? LT
Click to expand...

LT...sorry did not mean to imply that at all....thats an outstanding rare pice.....HOWEVER....IMHO it is not winterbottom bone but second cut stag....that's just an opinion based on the pic but I have owned KA-BAR folding hunters with the same looking handle and to me they looked like second cut stag......try putting it next to an older Queen with winterbottom and see how close they match.
 
I have attached some pics of a small queen bird and trout knife circa 49- 58 I also put in the appropriate identification for the tang stamp. The handling material for the baby griz has always been considered and called winter bottom however it does not look exactly like the Queen version ( bone ) color ect however it appears that the striation cuts give it the pattern for which it is named. Since it is stag and indeed a worked stag that would technically make it not be a first cut. These baby griz differ from the large griz in that only the smaller version was handled in this stag pattern in this way. I have many references to the original name of the handle material. While I am sure I can dig up a few written references to this knife handled in this manner being referred to as winterbottom. The one most easy to find at the moment is a catalogue I just received this week from a very large dealer in it he has reference to 2 of these knives having been for sale. ( they were both sold before I got the catalogue and usually bring in the neighborhood of 5000 dollars ). I included the pictures of both of these knives one in winterbottom and one in celluloid. For these reasons I believe this is indeed a form of winterbottom. I have also included a picture of a set of CASE toothpicks which I was told were second cut stag and were represenative of that type of handle material. Frankly on that I am going on what I have been told. Regarding the winterbottom my information is that of verified research. LT PS I realized that you did not imply my knife was not original and really I was just kidding a bit I did not mean to offend ( although with me that is usually how it works out. ) I always enjoy your opinions even if we differ from time to time.
 
OK Like I said second hand info and not my field I guess I will throw them away. Since I have never really known much about them any idea of what they might be worth?? I got them in in a collection I bought. I am not big on case knives ( unless they are the old automatics. ). I appreciate any info. LT
 
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