ANTIQUE EXHIBITION LARGE LOCKBACK 6 BLADE IXL FISHING SHOWPIECE PRISTINE c.1890s

Description: ANTIQUE EXHIBITION LARGE LOCKBACK 6 BLADE IXL FISHING SHOWPIECE PRISTINE c.1890s ANTIQUE LARGE EXHIBITION FISHING SHOWPIECE PRISTINE MINTUNSHARPENED UNCARRIED CONDITION LOCK BACK 6 BLADEIXL SPORTSMANS KNIFE WITH 3 IMPLEMENTSPUBLISHED** ~ FROM THE SHEFFIELD GOLDEN AGEBY GEORGE WOSTENHOLMThe S.E.K.B. is a display of the finest completely handmade antique knives ever created in the cutlery world. Exhibition knives were created by the firms best Master Cutlers only to be displayed and then retired to the factory collections. These knives were made for quality, beauty, display, culture, and posterity; and never intended for sale or use. They were show pieces for Exhibitions, Display and to compete in Cutlery competitions for gold and silver medals. Most of the knives in the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book came from two historical and Iconic lifetime collections; one collection of Antique mint IXL knives and another collection of mint Joseph Rodgers knives, along with a few other notable Mint Exhibition knives that were added to the book, such as the extraordinary New England Treasure Trove knives.This IXL Showpiece was made in Sheffield, the knife capitol of the world at the time, and for hundreds of years prior. George Wostenholm's IXL trademark was one of the premier Sheffield cutlers from the 18th through the 19th centuries; and unquestionably made some of the best cutlery ever produced on this planet. In the mid-1700’s, there was a cutler by the name of George Wolstenholme (b.1717) working in the village of Stanington, near Sheffield. The I*XL trademark had originally been registered in 1787 to a W. A. Smith. The mark books of The Company of Cutlers show I*XL being registered to Wostenholm in 1831. As early as the 1830's, the IXL trademark was associated with excellence, with the highest artisanship and most perfect workmanship. Wostenholm made its share of Exhibition pieces and won Gold Medals & acclaim at numerous International Exhibitions including The Great Exhibition in London 1851, Paris 1855, London 1862, Paris 1867, Philadelphia 1876, Sydney 1879, Melbourne 1880, and New Orleans 1884. Wostenholm knives are considered much rarer than the more prolific maker Joseph Rodgers. Please refer to the 1970’s book by the late, great Bill Williamson; "I*XL means “I Excel", and the excellent article in the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book on page 187 by the late, great Jim Taylor. Wostenholm was selling knives to America as early as 1830 through a partnership with Master Cutler William Stenton, father of Master Cutler R.S. Stenton. Wolstenholm’s sales trips to America began soon after, and subsequently he established offices from New York to San Francisco through which he could service growing demand for his superior materials and craftsmanship of his handmade I*XL Knives. Wolstenholm personally made dozens of visits to America starting in the1830's; at a time when trans-Atlantic passage on a slow wooden ship would have been arduous, to say the least. By 1860, Sheffield knifes had a monopoly on the American cutlery trade, with about 90% of the market share. By 1862, IXL was almost exclusively exporting to the American market.This piece was completely handmade by IXL Master Sheffield Cutlers., hand forged, hand ground, hand fitted, hand polished, using only simple hand tools such as hammers, files, hand drills and grind stones. Although this eye appealing and highly sought-after Gentleman's Sheffield folding lock back Showpiece Fishing Knife is made for Exhibitions and showroom display; a similar Showpiece Fishing Knife could have been custom made to order by an affluent patron. Fancy Sportsman style knives were a fashionable accessory and necessary accouterment for any Wealthy Sporting Gent. A large, heavy-duty knife could be carried in a hunting jacket, a saddle bag, or possibles bag, and used as a camp knife and for dressing large game. This piece is labeled a Fishing Knife Showpiece as it also has a fish scaling blade, another blade for disgorging fishhooks and removing the entrails, and a small pen blade for general use. Other necessary accoutrements are a corkscrew for uncorking spirits, and an awl to repair leather harnesses and horse tack. There are also important handmade implements hidden in the knife end, i.e., a long needle prick to remove splinters, a pair of tweezers, and a small pair of scissors. Note the scissors alone are extremely difficult to create and are a testament to craftsmen’s skills and attention to detail of this piece. This is an example of a complex Exhibition / display knife design complicated by the pattern having 5 pins, 6 blades, 6 differently tempered back springs and 3 hidden implements. This piece was created by IXL Master Cutlers who were “showing off” their cutlery skills, demonstrating that they could execute a complex pattern of an Exhibition knife, and could hand forge and hand grind the 6 blades and 3 implements, hand temper and grind the blades and springs for the proper blade/spring tensions, and have a Master Fitter who could set the 4 Master German silver (not softer brass) pins, liners, the lock back lever pin, and 6 springs to make all the knife blades open and snap properly within the frame of the knife; all without cracking the one-piece scales. **This I*XL Showpiece Fishing Knife Showpiece is identical to (but better), and from the same collection as the example labeled in the Sheffield Exhibition Knife book on page 126-127. The Exhibition scales fit the top horseshoe bolsters perfectly, with no shrinkage, pin, or age cracks, and are in perfect condition, just like the day this knife was created. This is particularly noteworthy as the knife and scales are held together with 5 German silver pins that are much harder to set (vs. brass), that requires a Master fitter to assemble this complex knife; and yet about 130 years later, the scales remain perfect. The scales are a natural light cream coloration that is rare to see on a century + knife with no darkening of the scales due to oils in the hand being absorbed from regular use and handling. The uninscribed escutcheon plate is inlayed flat using an old school tool called a parser or bow fiddle. The three hidden implement channels were cut out in the inside of the scales and fitted with the scissors, long prick, and tweezers. This large, 5 1/4” Sheffield made for Exhibition / Display Pristine Mint lock back 6 blade IXL Fishing Showpiece knife is identical to, and from the same collection, but better than the identical piece published in the 1999 Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book. **That piece illustrated on pages 126-127 has hairline cracks at the 2 Master pins of the pommel end. This piece is in pristine condition overall, including perfect scales with no cracks or chips.This large 5 1/4” closed Sheffield Exhibition IXL Folding Lock back Showpiece Fishing Knife is hand made by the best Master Cutlers of the Wostemholm firm who specialized in creating these complex 3 back springs 6 blade Exhibition Showpieces. Note that all the blades are unsharpened, unused, uncarried, with full profile and tips. All the blades retain all of their original, bright, mirror signature Sheffield crocus of Iron polish; a laborious and painstaking final polish done on a wooden wheel with a leather outer band that is impenetrated with wax and fine Iron powder that creates the mirror polish that is hard to photograph. One would normally expect to find naturally occurring spidering or age spots on a 125-year-old knife, depending on the different storage conditions over many decades. However, all the blades are in mint, original condition. I found one tiny speck of surface spidering that is wiped clean on the back of the Master blade, and a few random minuscule handling/rub marks as expected. This knife is in overall pristine mint condition; a testament to it’s being stored in the IXL factory safe until the 1970’s, and then put up properly during its entire remaining lifetime. It would be impossible to improve on the extraordinary original condition of this knife that remains in its present, pre-1970’s factory discovered condition. I would never touch the original crocus of Iron mirror polish of blades, wipe the entire knife after handling with a chamois cloth, never snap any of the blades, and definitely would never oil the joints nor put anything on the metal or scales.This piece is 11 1/4” long, Master blade tip to pen blade tip when opened, about 5 3/16” long closed and weighs 6.1 ounces or 174 grams. The 3 13/16” long lock back Master blade is made from thick, heavy duty 1/4” stock, with a ground swedge about halfway back from the tip on both sides. The Master blade ricasso is hot stamped in 4 lines, “IXL GEORGE”, “WOSTENHOLM”, “SHEFFIELD” & “ENGLAND”. When the Master lock back blade is opened, it locks very tightly as new with a firm snap and closes with a pronounced snapping sound. The early style flat release lever is 1/4” wide with a cutout of the scales on both sides, with a very strong locking spring that requires strong pressure, as new, to release the Master blade. The 2 5/16“ fish scaling blade is pristine condition and hot stamped, “IXL GEORGE”, “WOSTENHOLM”, “SHEFFIELD” and “ENGLAND” in 4 lines. The 2 1/8” hook disgorger blade and small 1 7/8” pen blade are both in pristine condition and hot stamped, “IXL”, “GEORGE”, “WOSTENHOLM”, “SHEFFIELD” and “ENGLAND” in 5 lines. The 2 3/16” triangular shape punch awl and the 2” corkscrew are unmarked and have fancy fine diagonal hand file work patterns on the backs of the ricassos. Note that this knife is designed so that when the Master blade is in the open lock back position, the rear of the rocking locking cam locks both the corkscrew and punch awl blades closed and prevents them from being opened; and can only be opened when the Master blade is closed. This knife has all 3 original handmade, mint condition implements fitted into the pommel end; a 3 1/4“long prick, a 2 7/16“pair of tweezers, and a beautiful small 2 3/4” pair of scissors with crocus of Iron polish that are sharp and cuts paper perfectly. **This Antique Gentleman's Sheffield made for Exhibition / Display IXL Lock Back Showpiece Fishing Knife by the renowned Sheffield Maker George Wostenholm, circa 1890’s is identical to, has the same provenance, and came from the same collection as the Showpiece Fishing Knife on pages 126-127 in the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book. That piece has hairline cracks at the end pommel pins; this piece has no cracks and is in pristine condition overall.Many high-quality Sheffield knives were produced after the series of American tariffs that began in 1891 that were designed to help their own growing cutlery firms. During this Golden Age of Sheffield cutlery, Makers such as IXL used their superior craftsmanship to create fancy knives for the American and International markets to keep the firms in business and continue to employ their Master cutlers; most of whom worked for the same firm for many decades during their entire cutlery career. The Sheffield Golden Age ended when WWI called away many of Britain's young men. Many did not return, and the aging Master Cutlers of the firm died or retired. All of IXL's knives from the Golden Age demonstrate this same quality of Artisanship and Craftsmanship of the best Master Cutlers of the firm. This Exhibition Sportsman knife dates to the early part of this short "Golden Age" (1891's - 1915) of Sheffield knives period when the old timers were at the end of their sometimes 50+ year knife making careers. PROVENANCEEx.: Bill Adams collection, 1970’s- late 1990’s. Bill was president of Atlanta Cutlery Corporation and the first President of the Antique Bowie Knife Association. Bill traveled to Sheffield in the 1970’s and returned with many Sheffield cutlery treasures, notably from the IXL George Wostenholm firm. IXL was purchased by Joseph Rodgers in 1971 (Rodgers – Wostenholm), and that merger was purchased in 1977, and the Washington Works was demolished in 1978. Note that Bill Adams brought back the big brother of this knife, the 6 blade, 6 ¼” IXL Fishing showpiece on page 142 of the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book, and that knife was accredited to him as early as 1974. The forward of the S.E.K.B. is by Bill Adams (see above). Also refer to the chapter “History of the George Wostenholm – I*XL Firm” on page 105 and the selection of George Wostenholm Knives on pages 108 – 169. This 6-blade, 5 ¼” IXL Fishing Showpiece knife is the same shape, blade types and & blade configuration of the Big Brother to this knife, the 6 ¼” IXL Fishing showpiece on page 143 of the S.E.K.B.; but is slightly smaller and without the Exhibition file work (excepting the corkscrew and awl). This would have been the type of Exhibition / Display knife that could have been custom made to order by a discerning Gentleman of Means, likely for presentation to an esteemed friend or business associate. **Note that this knife is identical to the 5 ¼” IXL Fishing Showpiece knife published on page 126-127 of the S.E.K.B. and is from the same collection. However, is better than the identical published 5 ¼” IXL Fishing Showpiece knife as this knife does not have the pin cracks on the identical knife shown in the book, pg. 126-127. Both this 5 ¼” IXL Fishing Showpiece knife and the 6 ¼” IXL Fishing showpiece on page 143 mentioned above are from the same collection. Both the 6 ¼” IXL Fishing showpiece and **the identical 5 ¼” IXL Fishing Showpiece knife (pg. 126-27) are published in the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book and were first presented at The Blade Show in Atlanta, in June 1998 in a Sheffield Exposition Knife Seminar in conjunction with the Blade Show in an 8-page presentation handout highlighting some of the Iconic knives on display that were destined to be illustrated in the S.E.K.B. and were published in the book the following year in 1999. Some of these knives were offered for sale after the Presentation of Sheffield Exhibition Knives at the 1998 Atlanta Blade show. The rare soft bound copy of the *Presentation of Sheffield Exhibition knives Inventory, with pricing is dated 6-10-1998, and only a handful exist (see provenance below). Both the 6 ¼” and the 5 ¼” IXL Fishing showpiece knives were displayed and offered for sale. **[(NOTE: this knife is an identical 5 ¼” IXL Fishing showpiece piece to the above and from the same collection)]. On page 5 of the 6 10 98 pricing list, the identical IXL Fishing showpiece (published S.E.K.B. pg. 126-127) to this knife is listed under Multi-Bladed Knives: M2 IXL 5 ¼” Multi-bladed Fishing Knife-select scales, fair market value priced at $9,500 ( in 1998 $). The #14 to the right of this entry designates that this knife was scheduled to be published in the upcoming 1999 S.E.K.B. Note: $9,500 in 1998 dollars = $17,543 in 2023 dollars. PAYMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PAYPAL & ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER, e-CHECKS & ALL MAJOR CREDIT & DEBIT CARDS, APPLE PAY, GOOGLE PAY AND ALL OTHER PAYMENT METHODS APROVED BUY EBAY. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHIPPING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING FOR DOMESTIC BUYERS & TO THE EBAY U.S.A. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CENTER. FOR USA PURCHASES, SHIPPING, HANDLING & DELIVERY IS FREE VIA U.S.P.S. FIRST CLASS MAIL (UP TO 16 OZ.) OR U.S.P.S. PRIORITY MAIL USING ONLINE SHIPPING LABELS WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WILL HAVE THEIR ITEM SHIPPED TO EBAY'S U.S. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CENTER; AND EBAY WILL INFORM THE BUYER OF THE ADDITIONAL SHIPPING / CUSTOMS / TARIFFS, VALUE ADDED OR ANY OTHER FEES, LEVIES OR TAXES. All items are shipped within 1 to 2 business days with email confirmation. Exceptions include holidays, power outages, and evacuations. Items shipped to a California address require CA State sales tax of 8.625% or a valid CA seller's permit # or the item cannot be shipped. All items are shipped using PayPal or eBay's online shipping service and are covered for non-delivery by their shipping service with free tracking and delivery confirmation. BUYER AGREES TO EBAYS RULE THAT SIGNATURE CONFIRMATIN IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ITEMS OVER $750, AND OTHER SHIPPING CHARGES SUCH AS U.S.P.S. EXPRESS MAIL MUST BE REQUESTED AND PAID FOR ANY OPTIONS WITH PURCHASE, AND WILL MAKE DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ITEMS REQUIRING A SIGNATURE AS PROOF OF RECEIPT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TERMS & CONDITIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL BUYERS MUST CONFIRM HIGH BIDDER STATUS AND MUST MAKE PAYMENT WITHIN 3 BUSINESS DAYS OR 5 CALENDAR DAYS AFTER LISTING ENDS; otherwise, Seller reserves the right to cancel the sale and report you to eBay as a non-paying bidder. Seller reserves the right to relist an item if eBay's system goes down within 24 hours of the end of the auction. Bids will not be accepted from anyone that is not a registered eBay user. Seller reserves the right to cancel bids from any eBay buyer who Seller determines has an unsatisfactory eBay transaction history, has changed their eBay user Identity in the previous 30 days, whose eBay rating is listed as private. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SELLER'S RETURN POLICY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eBay customers are protected when they are an eligible buyer, complete a purchase of an eligible item on a eBay's website, and purchase the item on eBay by using the "Pay Now" option, third-party checkout or an eBay invoice in one lump payment with a PayPal approved financial business. Buyers must keep their PayPal account in good standing. Buyers must show good faith conduct with the seller. Improper good faith conduct can include, but is not limited to, any means by which a buyer can attempt to unjustly benefit from the Seller's Terms & conditions or eBay's Buyer Protection plan. Moreover, good faith conduct does not include buyer's remorse, regardless of the reason. Returns will not be accepted such as changed my mind, found a better price, just didn't like it, Ordered by mistake, Arrived too late, etc. Returns will not be accepted and buyers will be reported to eBay when buyer makesfalse claims such as doesn't match description or photos, doesn't seem authentic, Doesn't fit, Wrong item sent, Missing parts or pieces, Doesn't work or defective, Arrived damaged. If you wish to take advantage of any of the issue resolution options available from the seller, you must have the business courtesy to discuss any potential issue within 3 days of receipt, and gain agreement with the seller prior to requesting a return through eBay, leaving feedback or initiating any online dispute process. By doing so, buyers commit to negotiate in good faith, and that they have not initiated any other form of resolution processing; including eBay / PayPal dispute process or credit card charge backs, or purchases where you have been or may be compensated by a third party. Possible buyer / seller resolution examples are: if seller and buyer agree that an item is significantly different than described and photographed, exchanging an item for a different item from the seller (whether listed or unlisted), credit from the seller against any current or future item, adjustment, trade, return, or any other arrangement that is mutually agreed upon between the seller and the buyer, and confirmed in writing via eBay's email system. These options are designed to expedite resolution of any potential issue quickly, easily and amicably, in lieu of eBay / PayPal on-line dispute resolution process which is lengthy, laborious, and allows decisions to be made by a 3rd party instead of the principals; i.e., the buyer & seller. Due to a myriad of International and U.S. Federal, State, Territory, County, City or Local law(s), ordinance(s), restrictions(s) or regulation(s), some articles shipped via U.S.P.S. may have restrictions and / or regulations that may apply to your article(s) shipped to a U.S. address. Buyers are responsible for knowing if any International, Federal, State, Territory, County, City or Local law(s), ordinance(s), restrictions(s) or regulation(s) may apply to your article(s) shipped to your ship to your address; and buyers are responsible for any loss if any prohibited or restricted item(s) shipped to your ship to address is confiscated for any reason. Any item returned must be pre-approved by the seller and received by seller within 7 days from receipt. If a buyer claims the item is damaged in shipping, it must send photographic proof on eBays email system, gain agreement with the seller, and item must be returned before buyer enters a feedback comment and before any exchange, credit or refund is issued. Buyer must use appropriate shipping, delivery confirmation and / or signature confirmation (items $250 ) and/or insurance at the buyers expense. Restocking fee, partial refunds and refunds are negotiable when buyers are dealing in good faith. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL BUYERS AGREE TO SELLERS RETURN POLICY THAT SUPERSEDES EBAYS RETURN POLICY FOR ALL ITEMS. v.9.19.2020 Listing and template services provided by inkFrog

Price: 6795 USD

Location: Fairfield, California

End Time: 2025-01-17T21:29:56.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD