All About Pocket Knives

Finally starting to get more photos of some knives

Another old British quill knife for the thread - Sheffield and certainly other regions such as London, Birmingham etc made some fine old fancy quills compared especially to the American-made quill knives (though the latter perhaps exist and I have never seen one).

W Smith - Checkered ivory quill (3 1/8” ) with rat tail bolster and coping blade - personally I am attracted to that aged old yellow/golden ivory (or bone for that matter)…. Interesting one can easily see the checkering was accomplished after the ivory covers were pinned as seen on the pins heads… Tip is slightly proud but if you see the old tophat kick at bottom of tang in tang stamp photo - no doubt looks like it was taken down abit in the past.

Background – There were a few W(illiam) Smith cutlers noted in Tweedale though only one WIliam Smith as a sole maker. The others were partners in business - eg, Smith & Hawksley). The William Smith noted was well known and worked as a cutler for 71 years – other than Stan Shaw he is depicted as the longest-serving cutler to have worked at the bench… William Smith apprenticed and worked for Joseph Rodgers & Sons his whole knife making career. He was given special mention in a celebratory publication by Joseph Rodgers & Sons in 1911 (Under Five Sovereigns). At that time at the age of 70 he had worked for Rodgers for 57 years. Thus he is “possibly but not likely” the maker unless he had a few knives at one time with his own stamp. The only other William Smith was listed in the Flook book as a London cutler with no other details. As this knife has neither Sheffield nor London marked a definitive answer is not known. In my opinion no doubt 19th century and well over one hundred years old...

Lee, you've got a dandy there. Lots of work on those handles. Great looking old knife.

Thanks doglegg ..

A real little, old, gem you have there, Lee.
Someone did very accurate work on that crosshatch. Very nice indeed.

Beautiful knife Lee!

Thanks Joe and Dimitri ...

Just delivered this week is what I believe is my first quill knife... at 3" closed... a NYKC with what looks to be very old picked bone (appears to be very different than I have seen as other NYKC bone handles) and crimped bolsters leads me to think this may be an early NYKC? Hoping someone can verify one way or the other... also while all others show on this thread have a thin pen size spear shaped blade this one has a fatter sheepfoot shaped blade. Could this be the original blade or was it swapped or possibly reshaped?

Nice knife, Ken.
Could you show the knife well and the crimped bolsters?

Very nice, Ken! That is lovely bone, looks very similar to the Walden Knife Handle Co bone that was being discussed a while ago in another thread?

Sorry, meant to say the Walden Cutlery Handle Co.

Thanks Dan... I knew what you meant & I know what thread you are talking about... I'll have to go back & study those photos more...

FRJ wrote:Nice knife, Ken.
Could you show the knife well and the crimped bolsters?

Thanks Joe Here' the photos you requested... hopefully I captured the angle you wanted...

KAW wrote:Thanks Dan... I knew what you meant & I know what thread you are talking about... I'll have to go back & study those photos more...

FRJ wrote:Nice knife, Ken.
Could you show the knife well and the crimped bolsters?

Thanks Joe Here' the photos you requested... hopefully I captured the angle you wanted...

I went back and took another look at the photos. Around about pages 21, 22 and 23 of the America's "Little Sheffield" thread. The bone on your quill knife looks similar to some of the bone on knives posted by Lyle, however, now I am not sure if he was posting them as representative of WCHCo bone or early NYKC bone??

Thanks Ken.
I was thinking "crimped bolsters" as in Imperial or Colonial.

Funny how the timing works on finding certain knives... yet another quill knife...
this time a Waterville MFG Co. (1847−1855) found at a central New Jersey antique show this past weekend...

Just picked up this odd what I think is a quill knife. None of the blades are marked. 3 of the blades will not close all the way seems like something is pushing on the springs forcing them to remain open, when I push down on the blades they pop open.

Mike did you try fully opening all the blades and closing one at a time?

KAW you are killing on those quills. Don't have one but I love them. They are on the list. You have done good.
galvanic, that is a very unusual and awesome knife. Amazing find.

Yes Jay I did.

Mike that's a very cool little knife. It is quite possible the tangs and/or back springs are worn to the point the blades won't fully close. The back springs can develop a pocket that would cause this or the back of the tang could wear out to the point that there isn't the required tension and leverage to push the blades closed. If either or a combination of the two exists it would require some significant work to correct it.

I don’t think that’s it Wayne. There is tension on the springs almost like a switchblade that can’t be held closed

galvanic1882 wrote:I don’t think that’s it Wayne. There is tension on the springs almost like a switchblade that can’t be held closed

It's not unusual for a knife to have the issue I noted and still have spring tension. The wearing of the spring and or tang will affect the leverage points and will keep the blade open. Not saying that is the problem but it is possible.

Just got this little 3 3-8” closed beauty from over the pond. Tang only has R * W. 1820’s maybe? Can’t find anything on that mark in Levine’s or any of the Sheffield books I have so any help would be appreciated.

Levine shows a Rowbotham & Wingfield in Sheffield, (Became Wade, Wingfield, & Rowbotham) 1825-1932, and rates them "High" value. He doesn't show the mark, just the names. I have two pruners from them and the tang stamp has all 3 names. Maybe the R*W could be it??
Good luck, J.O'.

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:04 pm Levine shows a Rowbotham & Wingfield in Sheffield, (Became Wade, Wingfield, & Rowbotham) 1825-1932, and rates them "High" value. He doesn't show the mark, just the names. I have two pruners from them and the tang stamp has all 3 names. Maybe the R*W could be it??
Good luck, J.O'.

Very good, I think you hit it right on the head Thanks

I really like the handles, horn isn't it? That one is especially lovely. Great pick up. Key strokes are sure easier tan sharpening a quill but the keyboard is not as wonderful as that little knife.