"EBRO Granted 1773"

[kootenay joe]

This thread title is the master blade etch on a 3 5/8" two blade Regular Jack for which i am hoping to get some input from experienced Sheffield collectors.
Both tangs are marked: "Ebro" with a maltese cross at either end / J.Wostenholm / & Sons / Sheffield & N.Y."
The liners & pins are brass and the caps, bolsters & shield are nickle-silver. Handles are a dark wood which is not ebony, but might be rosewood or cocobolo.
LG4 gives J.Wostenholm & Co as a Sheffield manufacturer 1848-1867 with "& Sons" being used after 1854.
Goins gives the same dates and gives the company name as: "Joseph Wostenholm Ebro Perseverence Works" from 1854-1867.
Any information about this branding or the connection with G. Wostenholm which was founded approximately 100 years prior to J.W.'s start, will appreciated.
Ebro granted 1773 but this company began in 1848 ? ? What is "Ebro" ? (old English for "hey Bro, howzit hangin' man" ?)
It is a rare one.
thanks, kj

[SteelMyHeart85420]

That's just a beautiful knife.....love it

[kootenay joe]

Yes, thank you. Quite remarkable for being about 165 years old; remarkable condition and it shows the remarkably high level of craftsmanship that existed circa 1850. My tendency has been to think 'crude' when imagining what goods were like back then, pre Civil War times. But this knife shows workmanship was as good as anything made since. Remarkable !
kj

[Mason]

The "EBRO" name was granted in 1773, but was later assigned to "Joseph Wostenholm" (not the more famous George Wostenholm) in 1864. The names "EBRO" and "Wostenholm" (Joseph Wostenholm) were later bought by "Kastor Bros." in 1904, who used both the "EBRO" and "Wostenholm" names on some of their knives. In 1905, "George Wostenholm" sued "Kastor Bros." over the use of the word "Wostenholm", and "Kastor" relented shortly after 1906. With the addition of the "N. Y." (Kastor's location) next to "Sheffield" in the tang stamping, your knife would most certainly have been produced in the 1904 to 1906 time frame and by "Kastor Bros.", who continued to use the "EBRO" name alone after 1906.

[knife7knut]

A beautiful and rare knife in excellent condition to be sure! I recall having one knife with the EBRO stamp on it but it wasn't J.Wostenholm. I dug it out and the name stamped on the tang is Alfred Williams.This was supposedly imported by Kastor as well according to BRL. Strange that the EBRO logo should appear on two different manufacturers knives.The knife is even stranger in shape(at least the handle,pommel,&guard are).The guard and pommel fit around the handle,which appears to be leather discs separated by randomly inserted spacers of some type of phenolic material in an elliptical shape and the pommel pressed onto the tang.The sheath that came with it was made much later and form fitted to the blade.Here are some pictures for your comment.

[bighomer]

WOW outstanding knives, absolutely beautiful.

[kootenay joe]

'Mason', thank you for such specific information which changes what i thought this knife to be.
If i understand correctly this was not made in Sheffield but in USA most likely by Camillus in the 1904-06 time span ?
And it is the "N.Y." on the tang, after "Sheffield" that indicates made in USA ? And if it had been marked "Ebro" and "Sheffield" then it would have been a made in Sheffield knife before 1891 ?
The collector i bought this from is quite experienced and he thought it was Sheffield made circa 1850. I am grateful to AAPK and "Mason" for the correct information. Thanks !
kj

[Mason]

I can't guarantee it, but would guess it was made by Camillus (owned by Kastor) during the 1904 to 1906 time frame. They most likely had acquired some tooling along with the name rights to "Ebro" and "Wostenholm", and probably had no misgivings about using the "Sheffield" stamp on the blade as well as the other English names. Enclosed is a catalog picture of a very similar Camillus model from 1913. The shield is obviously dissimilar which was common in differently marked knives from the same factory, but otherwise darn close to your model. The blade profiles and pulls look like dead ringers to yours, as does the handle pin placement. I would have to vote Camillus made.

[kootenay joe]

Thank you Mason. I have some early Camillus 2 blade Jacks. When time permits i will go through my knives and see if i can find a match for this Ebro knife/
kj