SHEFFIELD - GEORGE WOSTENHOLM & SON, LTD. MULTI-TOOL SPORTS POCKETKNIFE, Sheffield, 19th Century
Mother-of-pearl handle with inset silver crest shield and silver Yorkshire rose rivets. Beautifully engraved silver top bolsters. Eleven folding elements, including a corkscrew, a sailmaker's needle, a manicure blade and an awl, and two concealed pull-out elements, including tweezers and a pricker. File-worked on the backs of the blades and backsprings. Stamped marks for Wostenholm, most with I*XL trademark.
Length 3.625".
Condition: No significant wear or damages noted.
Gold Yorkshire Roses and Engraved Silver
The name Westenholm was originally spelled with an / and a final e - Wolstenholme, The spelling was changed to more casily fit small pennife tangs.
A 3½" multi-bladed spors knife with eleven blakes.
The master blade is a spear blade with a long pul.
The other blades are: a bartender's blade, a pen blade, a fish scaler/saw with a hook disgorget, a sail makers needle, a buttonhook, a triangular leather borer, a corkscrew, a spey blade, a manicure blade and a gimlet (awl). Under the scales are slide-out twerers and a pricker. The handles are beautiful pearl sa with gold Yorkshire rose rivets and a silver crest shield. The top bolsters are silver, profusely cn-graved by a master. The knife is file-worked (fimped) on the backs of the blades and backsprings. inside and out. Bill Adams Collection
References:
An identical example is illustrated in Sheffield Exhibition Knives by Bill Claussen, et al (Salem, Ore.: Old World Publishing, Ltd., 1999), p. 144-145.
Notes:
George Wostenholm & Son, Ltd., also known sometimes as just "IXL", was established in 1785 and was under the leadership of three successive George Wostenholms. The original George spelled his name "Wolstenholme", but it is said to have been shortened to "Wostenholm" by the following generation so it would fit better when stamped on blades. The "I*XL" trademark, supposedly standing for "I will excel", was issued in 1826. The business became a limited company in 1875.
The firm flourished under the third George, who was pivotal in expanding Wostenholm's business in the United States, where westward expansion had created an enormous demand for Bowie knives, razors and other blades. Trade with America became the mainstay of the business, and the firm operated offices in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco and other cities. The McKinley Tariff Act of 1890, however, substantially raised duties on their American exports and significantly impacted the company's profitability.
Wostenholm also performed well at exhibitions, winning several awards for the superior quality of their Bowie and multi-blade knives.
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