All About Pocket Knives

How y'all doin?
Hope all's good. Got a question.
Can anybody help I.d. this one? I ain't got a clue except it's a wood handled butterknife (I think) .
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

It appears to be a radically shortened bread knife.Russell used a bolster setup similar to that but I don't think it is a Russell. There were many makers of bread knives and the most popular were by Clauss of Fremont Ohio.

knife7knut wrote:It appears to be a radically shortened bread knife.Russell used a bolster setup similar to that but I don't think it is a Russell. There were many makers of bread knives and the most popular were by Clauss of Fremont Ohio.

Thank you sir. You are a gentleman and scholar

I read somewhere (I wish I had saved the info) that the pewter inlay construction shown in this thread first started showing up in the 1870s. Sellers often try to pass these (and every other kind of butcher and kitchen knife up into the 1960s as 'trade knives,' or 'Indian knives,' or such nonsense. Here is a J.Russell Green River table knife.

I don't think it was a bread knife, the humps are on the spine, no the cutting edge. I'm leaning more towards a clam or oyster knife.

I read that you could not buy sliced bread during WW2 because the steel was needed for the war effort.

Server of some sort?

Happy New Year!!!
This is the way my brothernlaw found it in the woods behind his house(almost). We've only cleaned it up.
It's thin, really thin, and flexible. I've never seen anything like it, but I figured y'all would.
I appreciate y'alls info. I enjoy learning something new about what we all love, Knives!!
Gonna be a great year.
Thanks

I believe it is a pewter bolstered carving knife that has been shortened and reshaped. The humps on the spine tell me it's not a table knife like tongueriver posted. Could well have been made and marketed with similar handled pewter bolster table knives and forks.

btrwtr wrote:I believe it is a pewter bolstered carving knife that has been shortened and reshaped. The humps on the spine tell me it's not a table knife like tongueriver posted. Could well have been made and marketed with similar handled pewter bolster table knives and forks.

I concur. Those spinal humps are not the result of disease but are very typical of carving sets. In fact they almost define the pattern.

Thanks fellas,
Thing is, it's SOOOO THIN!
I took these to add to it. I appreciate all y'alls input. Didn't think there would be this much. I just haven't done any reprofile or grind work to it. Just basic cleaning.
If it was a carving knife, wouldn't it be quite a bit thicker?

Not all carving knives are made from thick stock. A Fish knife is thin and flexible. There are also very thin blades specialized as carving knives for roast beef and for ham (2 different knives).
kj

Wish I had written down specs on it. I'll get it back from my brothernlaw.
If it has been reshaped, it couldn't be by much. The crazy thing is, for as long as it was in the dirt (don't really know but I figured awhile judging by the good crusty crust), it cleaned up to look this good.
He wanted it sharpened, so I did. Even the round tip.
Thank y'all all for yourall the help.