Superb pocket fruit knife with an unregistered Sheffield maker’s mark, 1870

Description

This is a magnificent pocket fruit knife by a hitherto unknown maker. The body of the knife has a swell centred, cusp ended shape and measures 3 3/8 inches closed. It is made with brass liners, iridescent mother-of-pearl scales pinned with white metal rivets, an inlaid silver cartouche, pinched and ribbed silver bolsters and a tooled silver back bar sleeve. The carving on the face scale is acanthus leaves inside a fluted border, with wheel cut sunbursts on the reverses scale. The solid silver blade is bright -cut engraved with fronds and fruit. There are five hallmarks: the Sheffield crown, lion passant, date letter ‘C’ for 1870, the Queen Victoria head duty mark and the maker’s mark ‘J&S’. This mark is not shown in the Sheffield Assay Office Register but has also been seen on another pocket fruit knife from 1869. This splendid ‘mystery maker’ knife is in excellent condition, but the blade does not quite fully close.