Atkin, Oxley & Law pocket fruit knife, 1827

Description

Henry Atkin was the son of George Atkin, an 18th-century Sheffield cutler. Henry joined Joseph Law and John Oxley’s established silversmith business in around 1825. When Joseph Law left the firm in 1829 Henry Atkin and John Oxley formed a partnership specialising in pocket fruit knives. This knife was made in 1827 when all three were involved in the business. This near 200-year-old pocket fruit knife is made with thin brass liners, magnificently carved mother-of-pearl scales with fluted border, cross-hatching and a rayed terminal. There is an inlaid silver cartouche and some really tiny piqué-clouté silver wire work diamond motifs. The back bar sleeve is plain silver. The solid silver spearpoint blade has five hallmarks stamped at the Sheffield Assay Office: the Sheffield crown, George IV duty mark, date letter ‘d’ for 1827, lion passant and the maker’s mark ‘LL’. This superb knife has a crack across the reverse scale by the central rivet otherwise the knife is in excellent condition.