Description

This tear drop shaped handled, single long bolstered folding knife pattern has been around for literally centuries and was commonly known as a swell end due to the handle shape. It can trace it’s origin back to at least the second half of the 1600s. After the Barlow family in Sheffield England dominated the market in the 18th century and produced this pattern with significant popularity, it began to become commonly known as the “Barlow” pattern. (In reality only Barlow made pocket knives are true “Barlows”. Despite this infringement many makers began to capitalize and use the name in their marketing adverts) It was a common style for the average American journeyman well before the Civil War, regardless of country of origin. Found in one and two blade versions, we have chosen to offer the single blade lightest weight pocket knife for the fellow desiring the simplest utility and most diminished burden. Comes with a nice dark genuine horn handle bearing the ever popular period inlaid silver metal federal shield and a solid steel bolster, smooth carbon steel blade, and spring back slip joint. Closed it measures 3 3/8″ closed and just short of 6″ open. (Note: We have been advised of a reenactor website claim that the fingernail groove on folding knife blades is anachronistic to the CW era. A look at knowledgeable sources would easily confirm this is simply not so. Knives of the mid-nineteenth century were made both with and without this feature. It would appear from our research, that multiple side by side bladed knives almost always had the groove as the user could not place a finger on either side of the blade in order to grasp it and fold it out. Reproductions that either do or do not have this feature are not incorrect, but simply represent the variances available during the period. This “barlow” pattern is one of the most common pocket knives of the era, made by many makers including many small start-up firms, with many left unmarked.  We have examined single-blade original examples in this pattern with and without the fingernail groove. Here we offer this pattern single blade knife without to represent that portion of the CW era marketplace) As with many such items of the period they were sold by distributors who often packaged and marked the products for their own promotion. Such was the case with Tuttle and Hibbard of Chicago, established with that name in 1855, moving to the address on our label in 1860, who advertised and sold pocket knives made by New York Knife Company of Walden New York over the counter and in their catalogue. (NY Knife Company was first established in 1852 and was doing business from the late 1850s to the 1930s out of Walden, NY)  The Chicago hardware company’s CW era catalogue pictured and promoted NYKC’s various designs, including this one, complete with the ever popular inlaid federal shield. Note: The blades on these knives are very sharp and the spring mechanism is strong and tight opening and shutting them until broken in on most of them. Please be very careful. By purchasing this product online the customer certifies that he or she is 18 years of age, and agrees that The Sutler of Fort Scott, LLC assumes no liability for personal injury to the purchaser or others as a result of it’s use or handling. I am sorry but we have had to limit purchases to two pieces per order in order to maintain inventory for our wider customer base. 

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