RARE ANTIQUE MINT UNSHARPENED FANCY LARGE FOLDING LOCK BACK

SELF DEFENSE WEAPON DISPLAY OR SAMPLE KNIFE

BY SAMUEL GILL, SHEFFIELD ~ CIRCA 1850'S

Early Sheffield Folding Lock back Dirk knives fall into the category of edged weapons made only for personal self-defense purposes; and thus have the accompanying Mano-a-Mano romance and history associated with this early period of history. They are the Gentleman's counterpart to the Bowie knife but are many times rarer than their fixed blade counterparts. Most of folding dirks were carried as a primary or back up weapon for daily use for many years before cartridges for revolvers became into use into general use in the late 1860's; and continued through the 1800's. Thus, they are not only rare, but almost impossible to find one in un-sharpened, uncarried condition. These folding lock back dirks were completely hand forged, hand ground, hand fitted, hand polished, i.e., completely hand made by Master craftsmen with acquired skills from doing the same job every day for decades using only simple hand tools; and were created to be used only as a weapon. Folding Dirks are very rare, with very few examples surviving in fine condition. This is the creme`-de -la -creme` Investment grade of Fine Sheffield Folding dirk self-defense weapons, i.e., MINT, UN-SHARPENED, UN-CARRIED CONNOISSEUR condition; a Large size, high quality, lock back design with an usual silver inlaid & engraved scale.

During most of the 19th century there was little law and order, and it was "every man for himself". Men were constantly at risk of being waylaid by thugs, ner' do goods, thieves, robbers and banditos. It wasn't until the Colt 1849 Pocket model percussion (loose powder, cap & ball) revolver was introduced that most men could afford to purchase and carry a multi-shot pistol for self-protection. Thus, Gentlemen in the cities and towns would typically carry a folding knife in their pocket or vest as a primary or back-up weapon, or sometimes a much less expensive exposed fixed blade dirk as a side knife on their belt. Bigger was better; and may have averted a potential skirmish if your knife was bigger than the perpetrator's. It should be apparent that this large blade was intended for self-defense purposes, i.e., stabbing & slashing, not for whittling. Folding dirks were very expensive at the time and are 50 times rarer than their fixed blade counterparts. Fancy Sheffield Folding Dirk knives were favored by affluent Gentlemen, Gamblers, Dandy’s and Military Officers for self-defense.

Samuel Gill was born about 1825 and first appeared in a directory in 1852 as a maker of French and Spanish pen and pocketknives. However, he went bankrupt in 1858. His bankruptcy described him as a journeyman cutler and sometime cutlery dealer. Samuel Gill was still trading 1861 when he employed 28 workers and described himself as a manufacturer of pen and Bowie Knives. Gill exhibited his knives at the 1862 London Exhibition and appeared in an 1865 directory as a Specialist Bowie Knife Maker. In 1867 he was at 19 Carver Street, but again declared bankruptcy and sold his stock. Nevertheless, he was still listed n 1868 at Crescent Works, Carver Street, but by 1871, his workforce had fallen to only six and he left Sheffield. Sometime in the 1880’s he returned to Sheffield and resumed his trade again. He died in 1899, aged 74.

This is a formidable self defense weapon, with a 5 5/8" long x 3/4" wide spear point blade. Overall, 12 1/4" long open, 6 9/16" long closed, and weighing 3.6 ounces. Almost all 19th C. knives have been sharpened and cleaned over time; sometimes, a dozen times. This self-defense weapon is rare, being 100% original, untouched, uncleaned, unaltered: a condition rarely seen in 150+ year old knives. The blade is Maker marked "SAMUEL, GILL, SHEFFIELD" in 3 lines on the ricasso. The blade is full, no nicks to the edge when running your finger down the edge, and a full tip. The blade has a false edge ground on the top edge about 3 1/2" backwards from the tip and a hand chiseled nail pull. As is expected on an extremely old steel blade, there are a few minuscule spots of natural aging to the blade. These are barely noticeable to the naked eye. The blade retains all of its original Factory satin finish with a handwritten ink notation on the top of the blade next to the ricasso, "K 76 2-25". This is now quite faded, but visible under magnification. This is an inventory or pattern #, suggesting this is a Factory Display knife or a Salesman's sample knife. Sheffield blades could be ordered in satin finish (some customers preferred it) and perhaps priced a few Pence less than the blades that had the typical painstakingly applied (and more expensive) crocus of Iron polish. The scales are Antique 19th Century select natural material, with early Iron liners, brass pins, and a top German silver bolster that has beveled edges. Not all folders had an escutcheon plate, i.e., a center panel on the front scale used to engrave the owners name, date, or presentation to / from initials; and most are found on better quality knives. This piece has a very unusual inlaid silver engraved center panel depicting a Victorian Horn-of-Plenty motif with a flower and leaf design, with 2 inlaid Mother of pearl rondel decorations. The silver center panel is embellished with line and circular hand engraved patterns. Both the rondels and center panel were hand inlaid with a parser; a bow fiddle instrument that takes a specialized craftsman to carve out the shape with a template; then custom inlay the silver and pearl inserts by hand. The best firms employed the best craftsmen in their particular specialty; and this is reflected in the skill of the Parser who did the cut outs and inlaid the Silver & Pearl. One wrong parser error would ruin the scales. Obviously, this was done to enhance eye appeal and was a costly and time-consuming process. The scales have natural texture with very slight color variations in the dark greenish brown material with a nice, aged patina. All-natural material shrinks over time. As expected in a 150+ year old natural Antique 19th Century scale material, there are a couple of stress cracks at the pins. When the material shrinks over decades, it contracts; and can sometimes bring out the natural occlusions in the material creating a crazed pattern. This is very slight surface crazing is noticeable next to the right top pearl rondel. There is a very slight naturally occurring pin cracks to the top left, lower right and bottom brass pins. Aside from this genuine natural aging, which is desirable, the scales have been left in untouched condition. There are a couple of  small bug nibbles on the top right back (non-display) side, and 2 other smaller and 2 tiny indentations to this same, back side non display side of the scale; and are not distracting overall. The center panel silver inlay is simply a piece of sheet silver and is quite delicate. There are a couple of cracks in this delicate inlay, and a few small dings in the center. The circular patterns in the silver inlay appear to be "pins"; actually, holes drilled, and lead filled. This is a very unusual application, and perhaps a prototype piece. The pearl rondels are perfect condition. There are no real surface scratches to the scales, just light handling marks; another indication this piece "was put up", never carried, and was a sample / display knife. All the pins are original, and the knife has never been taken apart. Not all Sheffield Folding Dirks were a lock back design such as this one, which are rarer, more desirable, and were more expensive to hand manufacture and hand fit. This dirk locks tightly in the open locked position, with a good snap when closing as expected for a mint knife. Finding any knife from the mid-19th century in mint condition is rare. How many of these rare 19th C. folders have you seen that have never been cleaned, polished, taken apart, and are in 100% original untouched condition? They are RARE, and what advanced collectors love to see. The overall condition and the fact it hasn't been sharpened in 150 years suggests the knife was well taken care of; then "put up" and stored properly in favorable conditions for 150+ years. This Self Defense Weapon has great eye appeal; Large size, MINT condition, lock back, fancy Mother of Pearl inlaid horn scales, et al. This Sheffield Folding Dirk self-defense weapon is in MINT condition and is in 100% original untouched condition. This handsome lock back dirk knife weapon is an extraordinary example of exquisite Sheffield artistry. Note: it is very difficult to photograph shiny objects, and took many images in different light conditions to try to get good images.

This Fine Sheffield Folding Lock back Dirk knife would make a handsome display piece in any knife, dirk, Bowie, edged weapon, Civil War, gambling, Saloon, Mining, Old West, Western Americana or Military Officer's or Civil War accouterments collection, as well as an excellent Investment. Most collectors have never seen, much less had an opportunity to own a handsome, eye appealing, early self-defense weapon in MINT condition such as this without traveling to an auction house, and bidding until you end up owning the piece (plus buyer's premium, tax & travel expenses). To my knowledge, the only time a collection of only Sheffield Folding Dirks every sold at auction was the Joseph W. Shields, Jr. collection on May 30, 1994 by Butterfield & Butterfield. The Bowie Icon collector Bill Williamson wrote that 95% of all early Sheffield knives were imported into America. Given this early American heritage and legacy, these early self-defense weapons are perhaps 50 times rarer than their fixed blade counterparts; but not 50 times the price; and you will see 100 used 1800's folding dirks before you will see one in mint, un-sharpened, uncarried condition. Considering the extreme rarity and condition, this fine, handsome lock back dirk weapon is a top of the line, connoisseur quality, investment piece for the discerning collector.

Provenance: from the 50-year private Iconic collection of the former high end, long time Antique Western / Gun / Cowboy / Gambling / Knife Dealer / Collector and Antique Bowie Knife Association member, George Taylor.