Thread: Not a razor but a very interesting old knife

Did a "swap" today at an old haunt ...traded a Belknap/Blugrass Skinner in sheath for this very interesting "Superior Steel Blade" No.6 England Knife...also picked up a Nice Old Lauterjung & Co. Bartender's Knife I will add pics of it after my camers gets a bit more juice in it... Zak Jarvis...what do you know about this Old No.6 knife? No maker's mark on first glance. Nice brass bolster...also intricate brass bale on the other end...

You might look very closely around the hinge and inside the scales. I suspect you'll find some dried blood.

It's an old surgeon's tool (I don't know the name, but it's not precisely a scalpel, definitely isn't a bistoury (though they often had similar scales), and really isn't a fleam.



From Smith's Key, 1815. You've got something very much like #30.

#22 is a folding pocket scalpel, #29 is a fleam, #28 is a bistoury, and #23 is a lancet... You managed to get exactly the one I don't know!

Very Interesting Zak...Obviously since England stamped it is post 1891...what would you guess...early to mid 1890's?

Well, the handle looks like, but I'm not sure the open and close system would fit a surgeon tool, nor the blade

I'm myself looking for a kind of knife not so far looking



Knifes are quite close of straights, aren't they ?

Edit : I explain myself : surgeon tools often have "scales" with an empty space between the two scales, because the edge is as fragile as a straight's.

Knifes however mainly have a closed, full, handle, with an arises (?) blocking the blade.

Lauterjung & Co bartender knife I traded my PUMA Senior for...I like this one!

Originally Posted by AntiqueHoosier

Very Interesting Zak...Obviously since England stamped it is post 1891...what would you guess...early to mid 1890's?

Yeah, almost certainly 1890's or early 1900. However, I'm not 100% convinced that blade is original to those scales. What's that locking mechanism look like?

Also, the bartending knife is awesome! Is that genuine tortoise?

Originally Posted by Thaeris

Well, the handle looks like, but I'm not sure the open and close system would fit a surgeon tool, nor the blade

I'm myself looking for a kind of knife not so far looking



Knifes are quite close of straights, aren't they ?

Edit : I explain myself : surgeon tools often have "scales" with an empty space between the two scales, because the edge is as fragile as a straight's.

Knifes however mainly have a closed, full, handle, with an arises (?) blocking the blade.

Ah yes! Here in the US we call those switchblades, and I always associated them with the 1950's. It really surprised me when I found out it was a very old French design!

I agree, the blade and scales on this one are kind of strange. It makes me wonder if the blade was replaced with the wrong sort, because I'm pretty certain the scales were for a surgical implement, but the blade really doesn't look like any kind of surgical blade I've seen.

Interestingly, I have a razor with fully closed scales, very much like a pocket knife, and it's definitely a razor. The thread about it is here. Just like you say, my Charriere pocket scalpel has an open back, like a razor (though the tortoise scales are silver lined).

When I get a chance, I'll dig up my encyclopedia of medical instruments and see if I can find a similar blade. It'll be a few days though.

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

Yeah, almost certainly 1890's or early 1900. However, I'm not 100% convinced that blade is original to those scales. What's that locking mechanism look like?

Also, the bartending knife is awesome! Is that genuine tortoise?



Ah yes! Here in the US we call those switchblades, and I always associated them with the 1950's. It really surprised me when I found out it was a very old French design!

I agree, the blade and scales on this one are kind of strange. It makes me wonder if the blade was replaced with the wrong sort, because I'm pretty certain the scales were for a surgical implement, but the blade really doesn't look like any kind of surgical blade I've seen.

Interestingly, I have a razor with fully closed scales, very much like a pocket knife, and it's definitely a razor. The thread about it is here. Just like you say, my Charriere pocket scalpel has an open back, like a razor (though the tortoise scales are silver lined).

When I get a chance, I'll dig up my encyclopedia of medical instruments and see if I can find a similar blade. It'll be a few days though.

Hoosiers knife looks like, a knife. Old lock back. The steel/nickel silver pin through the bolster was and still is a German style of pinning up a pocket knife. Knife might have been re-pinned at some point in time. I'm somewhat inclined to think that is the case as the pin appears to sit proud of the bolsters. Not familiar with the stamp, but you might check over at britishblades.com. Those lads are up to snuff on English cutlery.

Thaeris's knife is another lock black. A VERY nice old folding dirk. Not a switch blade or auto. That style of lock back was popular in the late 1800's and through the teens. Wostenholm made tons of them and you see them on ebay infrequently and they usually bring good money.

The bartender's knife is VERY nice.

Originally Posted by Thaeris

Well, the handle looks like, but I'm not sure the open and close system would fit a surgeon tool, nor the blade

I'm myself looking for a kind of knife not so far looking



Knifes are quite close of straights, aren't they ?

Edit : I explain myself : surgeon tools often have "scales" with an empty space between the two scales, because the edge is as fragile as a straight's.

Knifes however mainly have a closed, full, handle, with an arises (?) blocking the blade.

So that is a folding Dirk...that is fascinating. How long is the blade? That is a superb looking piece, I wonder if it could legally be shipped to Canada? What's is the maker and what search criteria would you use for something like that.

That's something I would be interested in....nice.

Ahh, you a knife guy as well Mike ? Here is a cool oldie but goodie, a Simmons Hardware complete with a bloodletting tool ;



And a pair of "rooster nutters" which probably saw service on the farm ;

jimmy I just love old useful things! that Simmons Hardware piece is superb! My knife guy has a wonderful shop down here in Florida and I left behind a Rogers Cutlers to her Majesty Tortoise pen knife he wanted 45 bucks for...may have to snag it down the road. he shows me many of his fine oldies when I come in which has been several times over the past 7 years