A BONE-HILTED FOLDING STEEL KNIFE BY JOSEPH RODGERS & SONS
Sheffield, England, mid to late 19th century

With a sharp fullered single-edged steel blade with an upward-turned tip, stamped by Joseph Rodgers & Sons, no. 26 Norfolk Street Sheffield, with plain moving quillons, the hilt made of two slabs of bone held together by five studs, the interstitial space vacant when the blade is fully extended, with a rounded press-down button to activate the folding mechanism, the brown leather-lined wooden sheath embellished with chased silver sheets decorated with dense rosette sprays and vegetal meanders reminiscing of Ottoman Balkan and Greece silver creations for both the military industry and private consumption, 30.5cm long (fully extended), 34cm long (including the sheath).

Opened in 1825, the Norfolk street showroom of Joseph Rodgers & Sons caused a great sensation in the UK and abroad. The company distinguished itself for producing an unrivaled range of pen and pocket knives, together with refined exhibition cutlery. Known as far as Persia, India, and Ceylon, Joseph Rodgers & Sons steel became a synonym in the East for superlative blade quality and a much sought-after commodity.