PUBLISHED ANTIQUE PRISTINE MINT UNSHARPENED UNCARRIED CASED IXL SHOWROOM KNIFE

Description

PUBLISHED ANTIQUE PRISTINE MINT UNSHARPENED UNCARRIED CASED IXL SHOWROOM KNIFE
PUBLISHED ANTIQUE PRISTINE MINT UNSHARPENED UNCARRIED CASED IXL
SHOWROOM KNIFE
PUBLISHED ~ ANTIQUE PRISTINE MINT UNSHARPENED
UNCARRIED
IXL GEORGE WOSTENHOLM SHEFFIELD
FACTORY SHOWROOM
4 BLADED EQUAL END SENATOR
PATTERN POCKET KNIFE
EXHIBITION QUALITY MOTHER
OF PEARL
ILLUSTRATED IN THE SHEFFIELD EXHIBITION
KNIFE BOOK ~
WITH PROVENANCE
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ASK A MODERN CUTLER IF HE COULD HAND FORGE, HAND GRIND, HAND TEMPER, HAND POLISH AND HAND FIT A PEARL 4 BLADED KNIFE LIKE THIS
USING ONLY SIMPLE HAND TOOLS
; AND HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST?
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The Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book displays the finest exhibition of Sheffield Knives seen since the 19th Century Expositions. The quality of these magnificent examples made with antiquated hand tools will never be equaled. These knives were created by the Master Cutlers of the firm to be exhibited at International Knife Exhibitions, and some were created for the factory showroom display. They were created for their beauty, quality, culture, and posterity only; and never intended to be sold. Some of the knives in the book were displayed during a Sheffield Exposition Knife Seminar in conjunction with the Atlanta Blade Show, June 1998. Some of the knives to be published in the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book were offered for sale at the June 1998 Blade Show by Old World Trading, Ltd., before the Sheffield Exhibition Knives Book was published a year later.
The Sheffield Exhibition knife book covers The History of I*XL, with Exhibition and factory showroom examples on pages 105 - 169. Also refer to the article by the late, great Bill Williamson; "I*XL Means - I Excel". This is the exact piece shown at the bottom of page 110 of the Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book. Note there are numerous errors throughout this book; and this page has three. None of the of the 3 knives shown have gold escutcheon plates, which obviously would not be correct for a knife with German silver bolsters. All 3 knives are cased in original factory leather cases with champagne colored satin and crushed velvet interior. However, it is obvious the book is incorrect in stating all 3 have maroon leather; the top and bottom examples are black leather, as pictured. This bottom knife is 3 7/16" closed, not 3 1/2". I own several knives in this book and can point to other errors in this first and only 1999 edition. One of the other authors personally corrected and inscribed a page in my book regarding one of the knives I own that was dated c.1890 but is actually c.1845.
This Published Antique 3 7/16" long (closed) George Wostenholm IXL Mother of Pearl 4 bladed senator pattern Factory Showroom Display pocketknife is in Pristine Mint, unsharpened, uncarried condition, with all of the original crocus of Iron polish. This is an extremely high quality pocketknife made by the Master Cutlers of the IXL firm in Sheffield, the knife capitol of the world at the time and for hundreds of years prior. Wostenholm, along with Joseph Rodgers, were the two Premier Sheffield cutlers from the 18th through the 19th centuries; but Wostenholm knives are considered much rarer than the more prolific maker Joseph Rodgers. As early as the 18th Century, the Wostenholm name was associated with excellence, with the highest artisanship and most perfect workmanship. The firm won Gold Medals & acclaim at numerous International Exhibitions. Wolstenholm personally made dozens of trips to America; and by 1860, Sheffield 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. IXL hired only the best craftsmen and artisans, i.e., the best forgers, grinders, spring temperers, polishers and fitters; all using only simple hand tools. This piece was created by the firm's most accomplished Old Master Cutlers to create the best of the best for their Factory Showroom display knives. They used only the finest steel and materials, such as this Exhibition Quality Mother of Pearl with an iridescence only found in 19th Century pearl before the oceans were polluted.
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 the "Golden Age" of Sheffield cutlery, firms such as IXL used their superior craftsmanship to create superior quality 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 decades. The 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 quality of Artisan ship and Craftsmanship of the best Master Cutlers of the firm. This knife dates to the short "Golden Age" of Sheffield knives period (1890's - 1915) when the Old timers were near the end of their 50–65-year knife making careers.
This Published Antique 3 7/16" long (closed) George Wostenholm IXL Mother of Pearl 4 bladed equal end Senator pattern with German silver bolsters Factory Showroom Display pocketknife is in Pristine Mint, unsharpened, uncarried condition. These knives made by Master Cutlers display extra attention to the assembly, the original crocus of Iron polish, Exhibition quality Mother of Pearl scales, and a presentation Factory IXL leather case. Weight is 1.7 ounces or 50 grams; with the Presentation box, 2.6 ounces or 75 grams. The knife is hot stamped on the ricasso of all 4 blades with "IXL GEORGE", "WOSTENHOLM", "SHEFFIELD", & "ENGLAND" in 4 or 5 lines. (ENGLAND was used after 1891).
This 4 bladed pocketknife has 4 easy opening cut out indentations to the top of the scales where the nail nicks on the blades appear, to facilitate easy opening of the blades. Brass liners with the center liner having a milled edge. The Master blade is 2" long with the IXL Showroom inventory pattern #100 inked on the obverse side (light, but clearly visible). The 1 9/16" pen blade with a swedge grind on the obverse side to within 1/8" of the ricasso. The other end also has 2 blades; a 1 5/8" pen blade with a swedge grind on the obverse side going from the tip all the way to the ricasso. The other blade is a 1 1/2" long nail file blade with a curved sharpened tip.
The blades have the exquisite signature 19th C. Sheffield Cutlery final polish; a, extremely high-quality finish painstakingly applied by long slow polishing on a wooden wheel with a leather outside band with wax impenetrated with Crocus of Iron powder. All the blades are Pristine Mint, unsharpened, with the original polish, and snap properly. There are a few (almost invisible to the naked eye) minuscule, extremely thin vertical rub marks on the blades caused by imperceptible movement and alignment of the blades due to infinitesimal shrinking of the Mother of Pearl. This is perfectly normal on any Antique knife, as all natural materials (even Pearl) shrink over time. The blades are in Pristine Mint condition; and naturally occurring age marks such as minuscule blade rubbing have to be taken into consideration in any Antique knife. There is one tiny spot of naturally occurring spidering on the back of the nail file. This is very desirous, as it takes a century or more to create spidering that authenticates the genuine age; otherwise, some would think the knife was made yesterday. This IXL Factory Showroom knife is just like the day it was made; never carried, sharpened, used or handled excessively.
The Exhibition Quality Mother of Pearl scales are mint, with no chips or cracks or damage with a beautiful iridescence of 19th Century pearl before the oceans were polluted; especially noticeable in the sunlight. This is evidenced by the lack of fine scratches on the delicate surface of the Mother of Pearl that are typically is present when a knife is carried and rubbed inside a pocket over time that clouds the iridescence of the Pearl. There are 3 German silver pins that hold this knife together; 2 pivot pins through the German silver bolsters, and one securing the scales, back springs & liners. There are 3 brass liners; the center liner has milled edges. One side of the pearl has an uninscribed bar pattern German silver escutcheon (name) plate that was hand inlaid with a parser (bow fiddle) instrument and secured with 2 tiny German silver pins
The original Presentation IXL black Moroccan leather box is 4 9/16" long x 1 3/8" wide x 15/16" tall. The top is embossed in Gold Lettering, "THE IXL CUTLERY", with a spring-loaded release button in front. The interior lid is white satin lining is marked, "GEORGE WOSTENHOLM & SONS" and "CELEBRATED CUTLERY". The inside bottom has an indentation for the knife that is lined with champagne crushed velvet. It should be noted that IXL produced thousands of different pocket knife patterns over time in every imaginable size & shape. Obviously, the Presentation boxes used for storage were made in various sizes and use for many different sized knives. To wit, both the knife and black box on top and the knife and black box on bottom of page 110 are all different sizes. Thus, the groove in this box is slightly larger than the knife stored in it. Note: it is extremely difficult to photograph any shiny object, and I took dozens of images to try to capture the correct polish and details. Note that images are many times the actual size. More images are available upon request.
Overall, this rare, Antique one-of-a-kind IXL Showroom Display 4 bladed Exhibition Quality Mother of Pearl Gentleman's pocketknife is as good as it gets condition wise. This eye appealing exceptional knife is Published in the prestigious Sheffield Exhibition Knife Book, is sure to go up in value; and would be the centerpiece for most pocketknife collections.
PROVENANCE: Originally from the World renown IXL collection of Harris Florida IXL (combined with the World renown Joseph Rodgers collection, formed the bulk of knives in the Sheffield Exhibition Knives book), Old World Trading, Ltd (Owner is co-Author of the Sheffield Exhibition Knives Book), purchased by Jim & Cindy Taylor (the late, great Jim Taylor was born and raised in Sheffield, and an Iconic Knife Dealer. See pages 187 - 189 of the Sheffield Exhibition Knives Book), and I personally purchased 2 of the 3 knives on page 10 in 2008.
PLEASE VISIT MYWEST COAST TRADING POST STORE
CLICK ON " VISIT STORE " BELOW MY USER NAME
IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF MY LISTINGS.
PAYMENT
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SHIPPING
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FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING FOR DOMESTIC BUYERS & TO THE EBAY U.S.A. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CENTER.
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TERMS & CONDITIONS
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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.
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SELLER'S RETURN POLICY
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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 makes
false
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 0 ) and/or insurance at the buyers expense. Restocking fee, partial refunds and refunds are negotiable when buyers are dealing in good faith.
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v.9.19.2020
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