Pocket Fruit Knife by Samuel Kirkby of Sheffield, 1822

Description

Samuel Kirkby made folding silver fruit knives from his workshop on Pond Lane, Sheffield from the 1780s. He first registered a Sheffield silver mark on 5 February 1784. This lovely example of a Kirkby fruit knife is 3 inches closed and is typical of the George IV period. It has fine brass liners, carved mother-of-pearl scales, Barlow style ribbed silver bolsters, a tooled back bar silver sleeve, a micro-engraved inlaid cartouche and a solid silver spearpoint blade with milled borders to both sides typical of the early 1820s. The blade has five hallmarks stamped at the Sheffield Assay Office: the maker’s mark “SK” (although the “S” can’t be seen), the lion passant, the George IV head duty mark and the letter “Z” beneath a crown — the date mark for 1822. This pocket fruit knife by the highly collected maker, Samuel Kirkby, is in excellent condition.