Vintage Sheffield folder's (pic heavy !)

[Loada]

Hi IH,
Yes: W Jno. Baker 3 Hunter Street Sydney (Australia) but no longer in existence to the best of my knowledge. Certainly (now) the best known of Australian knife retailers, and very collectible there. I have seen pictures of their very extensive catalog (Bernard Levine has one that he quotes from occasionally) but have not yet been able to locate one for myself. They carried an extensive range of mainly Sheffield made products serving the pastoral industry as well as general purpose knives. The small collection that I have are all marked with the retailer's name and I can't recall any that also have a makers name. A lovely piece; I'm green with envy.
Lawrie

[OWDTOM]

Elliot's or at least one of the firms they acquired over the years made knives for W. Jno Baker. These blades have Sheffield made on the pile side and came out with the dross when Elliot's closed down in the late nineties.
I might have a few more somewhere lying around, but you can have these for repairs if you wish I.H.
T

[OWDTOM]

W & S BUTCHER, SHEFFIELD.

For those who don't have Geoffrey Tweedale's Directory the ten page account written in this link might be of interest.
T
http://www.wkfinetools.com/

[Iron Hoarder]

Thanks for the link. A great read.

[achtung_circus]

So I begin... In my efforts to reach the end of the Internetz I research. Currently it is the knife I inherited from my father. The story is that when he was young, in the 1930's, he, as did his brothers, trapped furs for spending money.

Muskrats, mostly, some beaver, some fox. With the first proceeds, he said, he bought a good knife. It is a William Rodgers sheath knife, likely a common one, but I have been unable to tract down exactly which one.

So here I am.
It's a thing of beauty,the steel is oily smooth and it holds an edge marvelously.

[IMG][/IMG]

Any assistance appreciated.

[Iron Hoarder]

You've pretty much said it all. It is a common knife from the 1930's and in one variation or another was made practically until they shut their doors. Nice knife.

[OWDTOM]

A whole week scouring the Isle of Wight for knives produced just two. Although I was pleased to find the Ibberson 'Coin' knife nonetheless.

The two-blade all metal by Joseph Westby is totally pristine and the wording on the commemorative Ibberson is Silver Jubilee A.D. 1935 on the outer edge and King George V - Queen Mary on the inner.
T

[giz]

hi everyone been away to Spain but looking on the site it doesnt seem as though much has been going on.
nice coin knife tom
glenn

[OWDTOM]

[QUOTE=giz;2028951]hi everyone been away to Spain but looking on the site it doesnt seem as though much has been going on.





........................


It's invariably so around this time of the year Glenn.

One or two bits which people might like to look at, picked up at Doncaster and Wetherby recently:-


Wade & Butcher four-piece; Harrison Bros & Howson Rope knife; Turtle of Croydon (Sheffield-made) two blade and a Joseph Rodgers smoker's knife.

The scissors have tortoiseshell coverings to both sides and the little art nouveau knife has a crown over shield mark enclosing the initials HB. This could be Humason & Beckley USA who were on the go until 1916.
T


On

[Iron Hoarder]

That four piece is a real cracker! The pen knife and rope knife are great too! I've been blowing my money on old tools since I can't seem to find knives lately. I really should concentrate on one or the other.

[giz]

hi tom
lovely little art nouveau knife, i just dont seem to see any knives for sale,
i must be looking in the wrong places.
glenn

[OWDTOM]

A totally pristine Stan Shaw three and a quarter, pearl scaled three piece which I acquired this morning without leaving the house.
I wish this was always the case.

The back spring decoration indicates that the knife dates from his very first days as a self employed cutler - around 1983.
T

[Iron Hoarder]

Very nice! When did he switch to his current back spring pattern?

[OWDTOM]

Very nice! When did he switch to his current back spring pattern?

Around the same time I.H.

This 'snake-back' decoration as Stan calls it, was done on a few batches of knives made for Sheffield Scene and Don Alexander's shop on Eccleshall Road (now owned by Paul Iseard).
They gave him his first orders to help him get started and he's obliged them with a few knives from time to time ever since.
T

[Iron Hoarder]

I haven't found much lately but this one would have been a real prize if it wasn't a rusted broken up wreck. I really wish I could find who did this to it and really give them a good thrashing. It's an ivory scaled champagne knife stamped George Butler ART. It also has the etch The Royal Hunt on what's left of the main blade.