Nice collection of fur trade and later I. (John) Wilson knives by Notchy Bob. As you can see there is no set rule on pins - 5 or 6 on the handles. The tepped half tang on the one blade is interesting. I doubt if a mountaineer would go out of his way to "patina" a new Sheffield butcher or scalping knife. Natives liked their tools polished or finished, especially fire steels. A trapper would be pretty old and in the mountains a long time to have a clorox etched knife or rifle barrel.
Thank you,
@beardedhorse
I can't explain the "stepped" configuration of the tang of that Wilson blade. I think I got that off EBay exactly as you see it. I originally intended to re-haft it with beech, as I had a couple of other originals in hand which I could use as a guide to get it right. However, I decided it might actually be of more value to me and to others who see it if I leave it as it is, so we can see how the bare tang looks.
The pin patterns interest me. All of the Russell Green River knives I have seen have full tangs and five pins in a 2-1-2 pattern. The early Wilsons have tapered half-tangs but are hafted with two scales attached with six pins in a 2-1-1-2 pattern. The John Nowill knife pictured is of recent manufacture, and has a full tang with two scales attached with four pins in a 2-1-1 pattern. However, there is an old trade knife in the McCord Museum which is hafted exactly like that, although I don't know who made it.
The Shapleigh knives also interest me. I've seen several northern plains sheaths from the later 19th century "reservation era" which housed Shapleigh butcher knives. Shapleigh's Hardware was founded in 1843 in St. Louis, but I don't know when they started providing cutlery for trade or possibly for annuities. The 1843 stamped on the blade commemorates this founding year, and is not the date the blade was manufactured. Early Shapleigh knives had two scales attached with six pins in a 2-2-2 pattern, as on the old original in the last photo. The Shapleigh company soldiered on into the early 20th century, and the butcher knives from that late era used brass cutler's rivets. The Shapleigh name was acquired by Old Hickory at some point, and most of the later Shapleigh butcher knives have the Shapleigh trademark on the blade, but "Old Hickory" stamped or branded on the handle. Old Hickory eventually dropped the Shapleigh name and trademark altogether, probably around World War II.
The six-pin Shapleigh knives are pretty scarce, but the later riveted ones are not too hard to find. Many of these have broken rivets, and of the ones I have examined, the brass rivet heads are paper-thin. I think these were probably just pressed into the wood and then ground flush, rather than being properly countersunk. I would consider this a manufacturing shortcut. However, the blades are of good steel. I love 'em.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob
