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In 1826, William
and Samuel Butcher
formed a partnership
with John Brown, whose business
appears to have been adjacent to Eyre
Lane location, forming the firm of Butcher, Brown & Butcher,
which lasted until 1830. From 1830 onward, William and Samuel Butcher partnered together in a business more commonly known as W.& S. Butcher.
From 1830 through the 1850s, the Butcher brothers expanded their business and production capacity in Sheffield, as well as expanding to the North
American market. By 1837, Butcher is listed as a seller of Sheffield-made hardware on Platt Street in New York, opened a Philadelphia office in 1842, and
by the 1850s they had an agency in Boston and traded with retailers in San Francisco, Chicago, and New Orleans. After the American Civil War, increased
competition in the American market cut into Butcher’s business, and in 1869 and 1870 the Butcher brothers both died. The business continued on under various ownership and names well into the 1900s. Among Bowie knife
collectors, the Butcher firm is known not only for their extremely high quality, but as one of the earliest Sheffield firms to break into the American market, making their knives extremely collectible in any condition, with high
condition, benchmark examples such as this being an extreme rarity. This example was likely made in the 1830s or 1840s, shortly after the firm’s inception. A nearly identical example of this knife in lower condition is pictured on p.
341 of “The Antique Bowie Knife Book” by Adams, Voyles, and Moss. The knife itself measures 13 1/8 inches overall and shows many of the characteristics that made Bowie knives such as this so popular in North America. The clip
point blade measures 8 5/8 inches with a long, shallow false edge and the maker’s mark, “BY W&S.BUTCHER/SHEFFIELD” on the left flat of the blade. The German silver guard is elliptical/diamond shaped with a gently grooved edge.
The coffin-shaped hilt is of German silver, fitted with smooth pearl grip scales, and has the very desirable cast alligator and floral motifs on each side of the pommel. There are German silver extensions from the pommel over the
grip scales that set this example apart from many other Sheffield produced knives of the period. Includes a red leather sheath with border tooling, gilt accents, and German silver bolsters at the throat and tip, the right side of the
throat bolster having a button for belt mounting. There is a small “33” collection mark (a known marking of noted expert, author, collector and dealer Robert Abels) in red enamel on the right side of the throat. A Robert Abels sales
catalog from the early 1950’s is also included.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, the blade remains almost entirely bright with very minimal scattered light handling marks, mostly from sheathing, and almost no noticeable wear. The German silver of the hilt is also exceptionally
fine overall with some scattered light handling marks and some light spotted oxidation in the groove of the guard. The grip scales are also exceptionally fine with a few scattered light handling marks. The sheath is very fine with
some scattered minor scuffs, stains, and light wear overall. This is truly a benchmark example of an ornate Bowie knives from one of the most collectible Sheffield knife makers.
Provenance: The Robert Abels Collection; The Donald Littman Collection; The Bob Berryman Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 9,500 - 16,000
B) Henry Deringer Percussion Pocket
Pistol - NSN, 45 percussion cal., 5 3/8 inch bbl.,
Damascus finish, checkered walnut stock. See
“A”, with “1” on the trigger guard. TJ/RE1/KH
CONDITION: See “A”, minus the hammer crack,
with some light chipping on the stock.
Estimate: 25,000 - 37,500
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