Description
WW1 private purchase personal knife set with Wilson & McCallay Tobacco Co. advertising butterfly knife, small Harrison Bros & Howson Sheffield-made dagger and a hand-made sheath with a sterling silver belt clip. Rare one of a kind type in excellent overall condition.
Most certainly one-of-the-kinds personal “soldier’s trench set” likely made an and American GI (could be a British enlisted man as well). Either way – this is a trully unique set; these sets are VERY hard-to-find nowadays. The butterfly knife is circa 1890-1900 Americano tobacco advertising items – these knives were given away as a promotional item after a large order of Wilson & McCallay Tobacco Co. “Zoo-Zoo” brand tobacco. The actual manufacture was by Bonigen & Sabin in Solingen, Germany. Yes, fun fact – the original butterfly knife design was invented in patented in Germany well before WW1; their original design was later “borrowed” by pretty much everyone in the cutlery business with millions of knock-off copies made all over the world. The knife is about 3-1/2” / 9 cm overall closed; the blade is about 3” / 7.5 cm. The tang is stamped BONIGEN & SABIN’S / PATENT on one side. The edge has been re-sharpened, it is pretty sharp still; the tip is intact. German silver handle with steel pins; all parts are tight; no play to the blade; handle lock is in perfect working order. This pre-WW1 production “mini” butterfly knife type is extremely hard-to-find nowadays.
The second knife is a small dagger that was made by Harrison Bros & Howson in Sheffield, England. Solid full-tang construction with ebony wood handle scales; all parts are intact. The dagger is about 5-3/4” / 14.5 cm overall; the blade is about 3-3/8” / 8.5 cm. Hand-made sheath was made from some military webbing and what looks like parts of a sterling silver cigarette case. Silver clip part is faintly stamped STERLING – see photos. Don’t miss your chance to add this original Great War era WW1 private purchase personal knife set to your collection!
This rare WW1 private purchase personal knife set has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition. These are the actual photos. I have a few vintage Sheffield-made knives, as well as some WW1 and WW2 era German combat knives, daggers, bayonets and trench knives available for sale – please take a look in the store’s Militaria section.
Argocoins accepts all major credit cards as a primary form of payment for collectable knives and militaria. Old-fashioned checks and money orders will work as well; please take a look at the Payments section within our Terms and Conditions for additional details. Please email me at info@argocoins.com if you would like to make a credit card purchase over the phone. Follow me on Facebook @argoman400BC to keep an eye on the latest additions and promotions.
FREE EXPEDITED USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM!
International shipping for this item will be $39.95 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
