1830-1837 SHEFFIELD COFFIN HILT FOLDING DIRK XMAS GIFT INVEST IN ANTIQUES! ITS PROFITABLE, FUN & EXCITING! Start Price USD 999.95 Current Price USD 999.95 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, November 26, 2008 End Time Friday, December 26, 2008 Location Fairfield, California See more about '1830-1837 SHEFFIELD COFFIN HILT FOLDING DIRK XMAS GIFT' Description EARLY & RARE SHEFFIELD ROSEWOOD COFFIN HILT FOLDING DIRK SELF DEFENSE WEAPON CIRCA 1830-1837Click to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeClick to EnlargeDescription:RARE & EARLY COFFIN HILT FOLDING DIRK SELF DEFENSE WEAPONby JOHN BROWN, SHEFFIELD, CIRCA 1830-1837Fine and RARE Sheffield early 19th Century Folding Dirk knife by the well known quality cutler John Brown & Co., of Sheffield (England). The ricasso is hot stamped "W crown R", "John", "Brown & Co.", "Columbia", and "Works" in 5 lines. The Regent mark on this dirk dates it between the 1830 to 1837 period, during the reign of King William IV. During the early 19th century there was little law and order, and it was "every man for himself". Men were often at risk of being waylaid by thugs, ner' do goods, thieves, robbers, and bandits; and typically carried a cap and ball percussion pistol for self-protection. These early folding dirk knives were made only as a self-defence weapon for personal protection, and were completely hand forged, hand ground and hand fitted, using only the simplest of hand tools. The revolver wasn't invented until 1836 by Samuel Colt. This Patterson model revolver and was very expensive at the time, and revolvers were not in general use in American until the Colt Baby Dragoon pocket model was introduced in 1848; followed shortly by the popular Model 1949. Gentlemen would typically carry a brace of single shot percussion pistols, which were prone to misfiring. Thus, gentlemen would also typically carry a folding knife in their pocket or vest; or sometimes a less expensive fixed blade dirk as a side knife on their belt as a back up self defense weapon. Almost all cutlery in American at this time was imported from Sheffield, England. Folding dirks were expensive at the time, and are many times rarer than their fixed blade counterparts. The Dirk overall is 8 1/16" long open, with a single edged 3 7/16" long triangular shaped dirk blade with a narrow false edge band grind to the top of the blade. The blade has been properly sharpened over time, and has a very slight curvature to the blade edge from the ricasso to the mid point of the blade. There are small spots of light pitting on the back side of the blade near the tip, as well as sharpening marks and a few age spots, as to be expected. This is normal wear for a knife that is 171 to 178 years old; and is in used, but not abused condition. When you run you finger over the sharpened edge, there are no nicks to the blade, and the blade retains it's full tip. This knife, as are many of the early folding dirks, is not a lock back style. However, the blade "locks" tightly in the open locked position by the natural force of the strong one piece back spring, with no play forward and backward, and no wiggle side to side. This is exceptional light wear between the blade and back spring for a knife that 170+ years old. The blade has a very strong snap when closing, and the tip rests on the inside edge of the back spring frame. Many old dirks have the tips missing from improperly closing of the blade, and allowing the tip to hit hard against this steel stopper. The original Master pin is German silver; en suite with the coffin shaped German silver top bolster. The scales are very unusual. Not only are they the early & very desirable Coffin shaped pattern, but also made of Rose wood; typically only found on early Bowie knives. Note the white swirl of natural coloration in the grain at the pommel. I had to enhance the images to show the dark grain pattern of this dark wood; further darkened by the natural oils in the hands over decades. This smaller size of this Sheffield Folding Dirk is quite unusual, rare, & possibly unique, weighing only 1.6 ounces; yet is a very deadly self defense weapon. The liners are brass, as are the scale pins, with some curvature to one side caused by the natural shrinkage of the Rose wood that is permanently pinned to the brass liners. This is not uncommon, and is not distracting overall. This Folding Dirk was made in Sheffield for the burgeoning American Market, and intended for a well-to-do gentleman to use as a self defense back up weapon. The Rose wood scales are in excellent condition overall, with normal wear, light dings, and scratches, which is perfectly normal and acceptable for a dirk from the early 1830s period. For it's extreme age, this dirk is in excellent condition overall. This rare, early Sheffield Folding Dirk knife would make a handsome addition and excellent investment for any knife, pocket knife, folder, dirk, Folding Dirk, Sheffield, American, Bowie, Civil War, gambling, Old West, Western Americana, or Military Officer's accoutrement collection.PLEASE CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS & SERVICES OFFERED BY WEST COAST TRADING POST BY CLICKING ON THE "ME" BUTTON IN MY EBAY LISTINGS; OR, COPYING AND PASTING THIS URL: http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=1knifeguy1Shipping :Shipping & handling are free, and allows completion of the transaction with just a few clicks of the mouse via PayPal. Payment :PAYPAL PAYMENT ONLY! 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