WHUT IZZIT? - Svalbard Republic
2
Page 10 Knife World March 2012 by Bernard Levine www.knife-expert.com Mr. Duncan Morgan of New Zealand sent in photos of a Sheffield-made clip-point bowie knife that belongs to his friend, Mr. Rick Lynn. It is one of the most remarkable antique bowie knives I have ever seen. This bowie knife would not have been expen- sive when new. Its materials are modest: steel, nickel silver, and white bone. Its scabbard is downright generic for the place and time: a pasteboard body wrapped in thin leather veneer, with sheet nickel silver throat and tip (missing the end of the tip, as well as the frog stud from the throat) What raises this knife above the common run of bowie knives is the historical decoration, both on the blade and of the handle. It is not an especially large knife, with a blade about 8 inches long. But what a spectac- ular blade it is! It has a fancy profile, with an exuberance of clips and swedges along the spine, and a sharpened false edge behind the point. The flat of the saber grind is stamped with a swag of typographic ornaments, giving the effect of a carousel. This swag or drape serves to emphasize the row of decorative stamps along the bevel of the blade. Decoratively stamped bowie knife blades were commonly made in Sheffield in the 1830s and 1840s, but were thereafter largely super- seded by decoratively etched blades. The typi- cal stamped bowie blade depicts a hunting scene: running stag, running dogs, and men with percussion cap rifles -- sometimes even a hunter on horseback. Less common (at least among surviving examples) are politically themed blades. They may have been more com- mon when new, as most of the bowie knife melees reported in the newspapers of the time were inspired by political disagreements. This knife is a political type, although this aspect might not be obvious at first. From left to right, point to hilt, the stamps depict: 1. A bison with horns like a water buffalo (the die-sinkers who made these stamps did not travel far beyond their native Sheffield). 2. A running (African) lion with a mane... 3. Being hunted by an American Indian. 4. Profile of a man in uniform: OLD ZACK. 5. A lion saying I SURPASS ALL. 6. A LIBERTY cap. 7. Another lion saying TRY ME. The ricasso is stamped with the royal cypher (monogram) of Queen Victoria, V crown R (Victoria Regina); she reigned 1837-1901. Below this is RODGERS / SHEFFIELD. The knife was made by the celebrated Joseph Rodgers & Sons, of No. 6 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, Cutlers To Her Majesty. Behind the ricasso is a simple sheet nickel silver guard. Then comes the figural handle. I have never seen another handle just like at, although I have seen many handles similarly constructed, of turned segments of hollow beef bone, thread- ed together to form a single unit. You can tell it is bone by the prominent dark holes, called Haversian canals. Usually this type of turned bone handle was used on bread knives. However bread knife handles were not ordinarily made to look like cannons. This handle was. It took me a while to realize this, but once you “see” the cannon, it becomes obvious. I have seen similarly turned bone handles on a few other bowies. Nearby is a nice example we saw back in the November 2008 column, WHUT IZZIT?
Transcript of WHUT IZZIT? - Svalbard Republic
Page 10 Knife World March 2012
by Bernard Levinewww.knife-expert.com
Mr. Duncan Morgan of New Zealand sent inphotos of a Sheffield-made clip-point bowieknife that belongs to his friend, Mr. Rick Lynn.It is one of the most remarkable antique bowieknives I have ever seen.
This bowie knife would not have been expen-sive when new. Its materials are modest: steel,nickel silver, and white bone. Its scabbard isdownright generic for the place and time: apasteboard body wrapped in thin leatherveneer, with sheet nickel silver throat and tip(missing the end of the tip, as well as the frogstud from the throat)
What raises this knife above the commonrun of bowie knives is the historical decoration,both on the blade and of the handle.
It is not an especially large knife, with ablade about 8 inches long. But what a spectac-ular blade it is! It has a fancy profile, with anexuberance of clips and swedges along thespine, and a sharpened false edge behind thepoint. The flat of the saber grind is stampedwith a swag of typographic ornaments, givingthe effect of a carousel. This swag or drapeserves to emphasize the row of decorativestamps along the bevel of the blade.
Decoratively stamped bowie knife bladeswere commonly made in Sheffield in the 1830sand 1840s, but were thereafter largely super-seded by decoratively etched blades. The typi-cal stamped bowie blade depicts a huntingscene: running stag, running dogs, and menwith percussion cap rifles -- sometimes even ahunter on horseback. Less common (at leastamong surviving examples) are politicallythemed blades. They may have been more com-mon when new, as most of the bowie knifemelees reported in the newspapers of the timewere inspired by political disagreements. Thisknife is a political type, although this aspectmight not be obvious at first.
From left to right, point to hilt, the stampsdepict:
1. A bison with horns like a water buffalo(the die-sinkers who made these stamps did
not travel far beyond their native Sheffield). 2. A running (African) lion with a mane...3. Being hunted by an American Indian. 4. Profile of a man in uniform: OLD ZACK.
5. A lion saying I SURPASS ALL. 6. A LIBERTY cap. 7. Another lion saying TRY ME.
The ricasso is stamped with the royal cypher(monogram) of Queen Victoria, V crown R(Victoria Regina); she reigned 1837-1901.Below this is RODGERS / SHEFFIELD. Theknife was made by the celebrated JosephRodgers & Sons, of No. 6 Norfolk Street,Sheffield, Cutlers To Her Majesty.
Behind the ricasso is a simple sheet nickelsilver guard.
Then comes the figural handle. I have neverseen another handle just like at, although Ihave seen many handles similarly constructed,of turned segments of hollow beef bone, thread-ed together to form a single unit. You can tell itis bone by the prominent dark holes, calledHaversian canals.
Usually this type of turned bone handle wasused on bread knives. However bread knifehandles were not ordinarily made to look likecannons. This handle was. It took me a while torealize this, but once you “see” the cannon, itbecomes obvious.
I have seen similarly turned bone handles ona few other bowies. Nearby is a nice examplewe saw back in the November 2008 column,
WHUT IZZIT?
March 2012 Knife World Page 11
made by F. Newton of Sheffield for CasaRoberto Boker of Mexico City circa 1880s.
So, what exactly makes this Rodgers bowieknife political? It is the Mexican War elementsused in the Whig presidential campaign of1848: the Liberty cap, the cannon, and aboveall the portrait of Old Zack, General ZacharyTaylor -- American hero of the War WithMexico 1846-1847, and victorious Whig candi-date for president in 1848. Here is the best sur-viving photo of Old Rough and Ready, and youcan see that the stamp on the blade is a reason-able likeness of him (and no doubt of just aboutany other army officer of his generation, butwhy be picky?).
Another stamp sometimes seen on Sheffieldbowie knives of this era shows General Tayloron horseback. Here he is stamped on the flatsolid cap bolster of a Wragg folding bowie. Ihave seen a similar but smaller stamp used onbowie blade ricassos.
On the front it is a SOUVENIR, 16thM.H.N.P.A. ANNUAL CONVENTION, 1907,PEORIA, ILL. / COMPLIMENTS OF HOOPE-STON H.N. Co.
I looked up M.H.N.P.A. via Google, and itdirected me to the International Horseshoers’Monthly Magazine, Volume 7 Number 5, May1906, which reported on an agreement betweenthe Master Horseshoers National ProtectiveAssociation (M.H.N.P.A.), and the TheInternational Union of JourneymanHorseshoers, brokered by Samuel Gompers,president of the American Federation of Labor.
That is quite a bit of history to be found inone little pocketknife. Alas, I do not know whomade this knife. If you do know, please tell me.If you have another knife made this way, pleasesend in photos or scans.
*Please send me an email to [email protected] mail paper correspondence to Whut Izzit,
c/o Knife World, Box 3395, Knoxville TN 37927.Be sure to enclose either an email address, or along self-addressed stamped envelope withyour letter, and also a flatbed scan, photocopy,or photograph (on plain LIGHT GRAY orWHITE background please) of your knife.
And here is an odd historical footnote. Theblade profile of this knife, seems eccentricwhen compared to other mid 19th centurybowie knives. But similar shapes haveappeared in other places at other times.
For example, in the 1910s you could buy acarving knife with what was then called aTurkish Cimeter blade profile. The first andthird items in this group of German Boker beefcarvers from 1914 are variations on thatdesign.
In the 1960s, American servicemen in theStudies and Observation Group operating inSoutheast Asia were given combat knivesdesigned by Ben Baker, and made for him inOkinawa. Since 1986 SOG Specialties ofWashington has made replicas of this knife,and other knives based on its design. Nearby isone of the latest, Bowie 2.0.
Other companies have also joined theparade. Here is a version offered by ColumbiaRiver Knife & Tool.
*Here is an odd little coin type folding knife
that turned up on eBay a couple of years ago.The two piece handle is ‘coined’ of aluminum,in low relief. It has one large steel blade withmultiple cutting edges. These include a guillo-tine edge for cutting cigars, in conjunction withthe hole through the handles. The are twosharp notches for slitting paper or cuttingstring. Also at least three other edges of variedprofiles and bevels. It required quite a feat ofgrinding, and was probably ground freehand.
The knife is both a souvenir and an advertis-ing item. On the back it advertises HOOPE-STON HORSE NAIL CO., MAKING HOOPE-STON = & = PEERLESS HORSE NAILS ATHOOPESTON, ILL(inois).
