French (?) Schepeler stag horn navaja

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

I think that RobT pretty much nailed it!

I searched through my reference books and the best that I could find was in one of Abel Domenech’s Spanish language book on folding knives, in which he links this type to France and classifies it as a hunting knife with lock `a palme’ and type `cornillon’, made towards the end of the 19th century.

I tried searching for the name Schepeler without success, but taking a cue from the above mentioned book, it is likely that it was made by a small output cutler, somewhere in France, as many were, but then it could equally have seen the light of day somewhere else. I hasten to add that the brand may not be of the maker but that of a retailer or importer who obtained the knife from an unknown maker and sold it under his own name, a very common practice in the industry.

Just for the fun of it, I put the question to Chat GPT and it linked the name to Solingen, without any further elaboration.

Hi Chris,

Thank you very much for your educated comment! So it will be French and end of the 19th century, beginning of the 20th century.
I've found a somewhat similar knife in "Navaja Antigua", also of French origin from Thiers. Described as Montera type. It's razor sharp and also it has some play to the side, the best French navaja I ever owned.

Best regards,
Detlef