British Knives and Bowies
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**RARE**Original WW1 British Robbins Of Dudley Alloy Hilt Trench Fighting Knife Push Dagger With Steel Knuckle Bow & Leather Scabbard. Sn 22691 - 22691 Robbins of Dudley were a metal working Company in Dudley Worcester England who at the outbreak of WW1 began making Trench Fighting weapons. This is an original, rare, Robbins Dudley WW1 trench / fighting knife push dagger with alloy handle, flat steel knuckle shaped bow and steel blade (see page 24 and illustration plates 32-34 of British & Commonwealth Military Knifes by Ron Flook where examples the same as ours are illustrated). The knife has a total length of 6 ¼” and the double edged blade with central blood grooves is 5” length. The blade is clean. The handle is marked ‘Robbins Dudley’. The knife is complete with its original leather scabbard with correct retaining strap and single stud fastener. The rear has a riveted belt loop. The leather and stitching are clean & intact. The price for this rare WW1 trench fighting knife includes UK delivery. Sn 22691 (fs box) £1,200.00 |
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Early 20th Century English Jonathan Crookes Sheffield Pistol & Heart Trademark Bowie Knife With Stag Antler Scales & Scabbard. Sn 22535 - 22535 Jonathan Crookes together with his pistol & Heart trademark (The heart and pistol legend, was used as early as 1780 by the cutler Jonathan Crookes and became Jonathan Crookes & Son C1827. In 1859 the Sheffield cutlers John Brookes & Thomas Crookes appear in Melville & Co’s Commercial directory of Sheffield as manufacturer’s of knives and dressing case instruments. The Company had a warehouse, workshops, engine house & grinding wheel behind a house on St Philip’s Road on the outskirts of the cutlery making district of Sheffield. The workshop / factory was named the Atlantic works and was previously the address of knife maker Thomas Wigfall. The Company took advantage of the booming American market making Bowies for the British & American export. The trademark was later bought and used by other Sheffield knife makers, see pages 161-163 of The Sheffield Knife Book by Tweedale). This is a large original early 20th century Bowie Knife by Jonathan Crookes. It measures 14 ½” overall with a clean 9 ½” clean steel Bowie blade. The blade is just under 1 ½” broad at its widest and the spine is 6mm thick. The ricasso is stamped by the maker ‘Jonathan Crookes’ together with his pistol & heart trademark. The hilt’s Stag antler scales secured by pins are undamaged. The cross guard is brass. The Bowie is complete with its brown leather open top scabbard with small stitched belt loop to the rear. The front of the scabbard has tooled foliate decoration on the edges. All leather and stitching are clean and intact. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 22535 £495.00 |
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1920-1925 Chalwin & Edwards & Co 70 High Holborn London Bowie Knife With Stag Antler Scales & Original Leather Scabbard. Sn 22628 - 22628 Chalwin & Edwards were English cutlers recorded as working between 1895 & 1915 at 70 High Holborn London. They are then recorded as Chalwin & Edwards & Co working at the same premises between 1920 & 1925 (see page 36 of Ron Flook’s ‘The London Knife Book’). This is a nice original Bowie by Chalwin & Edwards & Co at their 70 High Holborn London premises between 1920 & 1925 with original Scabbard. It has undamaged stag antler scales secured by pins. One scale is mounted with a void German silver bar and it has an oval German silver cross guard. It has a clean 6” single edged, steel bowie blade signed by the makers ‘Chalwin - Edwards & Co 70 High Holborn London’. The spine of the blade is 4mm width and the blade is 1" broad at its widest. The Bowie measures just under 10 ¼” overall length. Its original open top brown leather scabbard has a stitched seam to the front and belt loop to the rear. The leather of the scabbard is clean with just very light small areas of carry scuffs & all stitching is intact. The price includes UK delivery. Sn 22628 (in Bowies box) £595.00 |
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SOLD SOLD (15/06) Sword Nickel Plated Brass Hilt 2nd Pattern Fairbairn Sykes Commando Fighting Knife With American United States Army Air Force Officer’s Privately Commissioned Etched Panel Banner To ‘R. Bell USAAF’ & 1942 Dated Scabbard. Sn 22582 - 22582 2nd Pattern Fairbairn Sykes 'FS' Fighting Knives were introduced in 1941. Examples with etched blades are illustrated in Chapter 7 of. American & Canadian special forces soldiers & Officers bought FS fighting knives as private purchase weapons. Examples of named, etched blades are illustrated on pages 94 - 97 of Flook’s book The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knife & Other Commando Knives. This privately commissioned Officer’s quality nickel plated brass hilt variant of the 2nd pattern FS has the correct knurled grip hilt and nickel plated oval steel cross guard. The knife has a 162mm steel blade with medial ridge. One side of the blade has a crisp etched scrolling banner ‘R. Bell USAAF’ no doubt privately commissioned by or for the American Officer who carried this knife. The blade has staining consistent with age and the cutting edge has several small nibbles to be expected with a WW2 service weapon. The dagger is complete with original leather scabbard with external nickel plated brass chape and belt loop. As is common its original 4 sewn on leather tabs have been cut back in the period and its elasticated retaining strap on the belt loop is absent. All leather & stitching of the scabbard are intact. One side of the belt loop is impressed with ‘1942’ date (double struck 9) and the reverse has 3 indistinct impressed letters or numbers. The price for this rare named FS knife includes UK delivery. Sn 22582 £0.00 |
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**QUALITY**Victorian Bowie Knife With ‘Drop Down’ Extendable Blade, Stag Antler Scales, Brass Bolsters, Blade Release Lever & Open Top Leather Bucket Scabbard. Sn 17730 - 17730 This is an excellent Victorian Bowie Knife with drop down, extendable blade. It is 10 ¾” overall length when the blade is locked in its short blade (5 ¾” length cutting edge) position. When the brass locking lever on the spine of the hilt is operated the blade drops down or can be pulled out and extends to 8 ¼” length cutting edge (13 ¾” overall). The blade is undamaged and has just light staining consistent with age. The spine of the blade has a small hole in the mid-section which allows the blade to be locked into its short position by lifting the release lever & pushing the blade back into the hilt. The release lever is numbered ‘13’ but there are no other maker or date marks on this quality made extendable Bowie. It has attractive Stag antler scales which are in great condition secured by steel pins & brass bolsters. The knife is complete with original open top brown leather bucket scabbard. The scabbard has no belt loop and has a small 1.5 cm cut on one side of the throat consistent with it being cut by the blade when being removed from the scabbard at some point in its life. The price includes UK Delivery. Sn 17730 £445.00 |
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Post 1900, Large Folding Pen Knife with German Silver & Mother of Pearl Scales Engraved with Cyrillic/ Hebrew Script by Walker & Hall Sheffield. Sn 10789 - 10789 The Sheffield based Cutler George Walker is recorded as operating as a 'knife forger' in 1845. In 1853 the firm was joined by Henry Hall of Worcester and became 'Walker & Hall' based at the Elecro Works in Howard Street, Sheffield. Walker & Hall are believed to have been the biggest employer in the cutlery trade prior to WW1 (see page 284 of The Sheffield Knife Book by Tweedale). This is an excellent folding pen knife by Walker and Hall made post 1900. It has a clean 4 ½ “single edged folding blade and measures 9 ¾ “when open. The blade is marked by the manufacturer 'Walker & Hall Sheffield'. It has German Silver scales inset with attractive undamaged Mother of Pearl sections which are engraved on one side with Cyrillic/ Hebrew Script which is worthy of further research. Price includes UK delivery. Sn 10789 £275.00 |
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WWI Era British Cavalry Officer’s Private Purchase Steel & German Silver Construction Horseman’s Multi Bladed Folding Clasp Knife by William Morton & Sons, Sheffield with Removable Reign Bolts. Sn 18091. - 18091 The date William Morton launched his knife making business is unknown, but he is listed as a spring knife maker in Darnall in 1868. William Morton & Sons Sheffield were first listed in directories in 1876 at the old Rockingham Works 175 Rockingham Street, Sheffield as makers of pocketknives and sports knives (see page 231 of the Sheffield Knife Book by Tweedale). This is a WW1 era Horseman’s Multi Bladed clasp Knife by Morton & Sons, most likely a British officer’s private purchase piece. The knife’s fold out tools and blades consist of a horseshoe cleaning hook, corkscrew, fullered spike & 3 single edged blades one with thumb spur. The blades are marked by the manufacturer ‘Morton & Sons Sheffield’. The body of the knife has 2 original removable reign screw bolts with nuts. The elbow of the hook has a screwdriver edge which allows it to be used as a screwdriver when the hook is closed against the frame. The knife has undamaged German silver scales and shackle. The blades & accessories are undamaged with just the staining to be expected with age. All blades fold neatly into its frame. The price for this quality piece includes UK delivery. Sn 18091 £445.00 |
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Victorian Joseph Rodgers & Sons 6 Norfolk Street, Sheffield ‘Hunting Knife’ Folding Bowie with Polished Horn Scales, German Silver Fittings & Later Quality Bespoke Made Scabbard. Sn 21297 - 21297 Joseph Rodgers & Sons were first established as cutlers at ‘Holy Croft’ Sheffield C1724. By 1780 the firm was firmly established and well known for making quality knives. Having outgrown their Holy Croft premises moved to what was to become their worldwide famous address 6 Norfolk Street Sheffield. Originally making small, edged weapons the Company moved into manufacture of large Bowies when American & British Empire markets expanded in the Victorian era (see pages 522-530 of Tweedale’s Directory Of Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers Expanded 2nd Edition). This is an excellent Victorian era Bowie made at Rodgers & Sons 6 Norfolk Street premises. The 7” long, steel blade with medial ridge has polished horn scales secured by steel pins. It has German silver bolsters at the pommel and at the cross guard. The lower bolsters are ribbed and engraved ‘No6’ (Norfolk Street). It has a swivelling brass finger guard consisting of 2 plates secured to the blade shank by a single brass pin allowing movement of the cross guard as normally found on folding Bowies. The blade, on one side is marked crisply at the ricasso, 'No 6 Sheffield, Steel' and near to the spine ‘HUNTING KNIFE’. The reverse is stamped with Rodgers Maltese type cross trademarks. The blade has just light age-related staining. The blade is released for closing by depression of a bar on the spine of the hilt. Open the knife is 12 ½” overall length, closed 8 ½”. Its later quality made brown leather scabbard has a full flap cover with eyelet that fastens to a brass lug on the front of the scabbard. To the rear it has a single riveted belt loop. All leather & stitching of the scabbard are clean & intact. The price for this Victorian folding Bowie by one of the famous Sheffield cutlers includes UK delivery. Sn 21297 (drawers Office) £545.00 |
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**RARE**WW2 British Ralph Martindale Chindit Paratroopers / RAF Pilots Short Machete Fighting Knife & Original WD 1943 Dated Leather Scabbard By ‘BHG’ With Correct Strap Assembly For Leg Carry. Sn 21079 - 21079 A rare to find original WW2 Chindit Paratroopers/ Pilots short machete fighting knife by Ralph Martindale who made these machetes for the British War Department. These weapons were originally made for British Paratroopers operating in the Far East during WW2, however they were also adopted by Pilots in the RAF, see pages 109 and 110 of 'British and Commonwealth Military Knives' book by Flook and plate 251 page 110 where a period image of an RAF pilot boarding the cockpit of his aircraft with one of these machetes in its scabbard strapped to his leg is illustrated (reproduced in image 1). The machete has a heavy double edged blade which is 9 ¾” long and 2 ¼” wide at its widest point. The grips are a chequered composite material and are secured by three copper rivets to prevent rusting. The handle is holed for wrist cord. The blade has partially visible etched Martindale maker’s name on one side. There are no other visible blade markings. The blade has staining consistent with age and service use. The machete measures 14 ¾” overall length. These weapons are not usually found with their scabbards. This example is complete with its original leather scabbard which has a single retaining strap with press stud fastener, riveted to the body and leather strap assembly with buckles for belt or leg carry. The rear of the scabbard towards the lower edge is impressed with WD arrow and by the manufacturer ‘BHG’. It is also stamped with 1943 date and the reverse has letters and numbers which looks like ‘A423’. All leather stitching and rivets are intact. The price for this rare piece includes UK delivery. Sn 21079 (FS box) £795.00 |
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**MASSIVE**BLACKSMITH MADE**CUTLER’S SHOP WINDOW ADVERTISING PIECE**Early 20th Century Bowie Knife. Sn 22514 - 22514 This is a massive, heavy Bowie in English form most likely Blacksmith made in the early 20th century. This size of Bowie were displayed by Cutler’s in their shop windows to draw attention to & advertise their wares. The 19 ¾” long, Bowie has undamaged, thick wood scales secured to the full tang by 5 brass rivets. It has a heavy cast brass finger guard. The knife’s impressive 12 ½” long blade is 6mm thick and 3” broad at its widest. The steel blade has areas of staining consistent with age and storage. There is no damage or nicks to the cutting edge. There are no visible maker marks on this Bowie. The Bowie weighs a hefty 1.5 Kg. Although useable as a knife this Bowie was never made to be carried and is correctly without scabbard. The price for this massive Bowie, a great conversation / display piece includes UK delivery. Sn 22514 £395.00 |
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