Antique Navy Rope Knife with Stag Horn Grips by Michael Hunter & Son of Sheffield c1860

Here on offer is a fine example of an early version of a folding navy or whaler type rope knife with beautiful stag horn grips by the English maker, Michael Hunter & Son of Sheffield, England, circa 1860.

Even though there are no military markings, I believe these knifes where used by both the British Royal Navy and the American Navy’s during the American Civil War and possibly through to the Boer War period.

The grip is made up from two beautiful dark coloured slabs of genuine stag horn, that are held in place by three hand made steel pins and the lanyard bale brass pin.

There is a small hairline crack in the horn by one of the pins near the bolster, as it has rusted and expanded over the years. There is also what looks to be a natural surface crack across one of the slabs. Both slabs are held securely in place against the steel liners.

At the top of the grip is a large solid copper lanyard bale.

The square pointed blade has the maker’s name stamped on one side of the ricasso, which reads as:

HUNTER
SHEFFIELD

Then on the other side it is stamped with the one of the company trademarks, being the image of a “Bugle”.

M. Hunter & Son was a prominent, multi-generational cutlery, edge-tool, and silver manufacturer based in Sheffield, England, with roots tracing back to the 18th century. Renowned for its table cutlery and highly popular Bowie knives, the firm became one of the key players in the 19th-century Sheffield export market, particularly supplying blades to the Americas and British military forces.

All the steel fittings including the blade now have an overall aged greying to the finish and some light pitting.

The blade retains an excellent 3.5” cutting edge and a squared tip that was designed to prevent accidental puncturing. Historically, this allowed sailors and riggers to work quickly in rough seas without the risk of piercing delicate sails, puncturing inflatable life rafts, or severely injuring themselves or shipmates in tight spaces.

The knife is in excellent working order with firm full and half stops, when opened.

This example is the best I have had the privilege to own and these knives are becoming very hard to find in such good condition.

The blade measures 3.75” (9.5cm) long with a 3.5” (8.8cm) cutting edge and the knife is 9.4” (23.7cm) long when open, including the lanyard bale.

It weighs 155g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

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The responsibility lies with the customer to check with your Customs restrictions that this item can be imported into your country.

Code: 52324