French (?) Schepeler stag horn navaja

[Ian]

Detlef, I think you may get more responses from the Euro Forum, so will send it over there now. Ian.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Detlef, I think you may get more responses from the Euro Forum, so will send it over there now. Ian.

Thanks Ian!

[RobT]

Sajen,

The teat lock, ring pull, lack of a bolster, and the blade shape all argue for France. In France, this style of knife is known as a palm knife because the back spring is said to resemble a palm frond. It as also known by its Spanish name, navaja. The lock on the Spanish version tends to be rectangular rather than a round pin. Because the typical French version of this knife style doesn’t have a bolster, a ring pull is used as a blade release. The Spanish navaja of this type usually has a metal bolster so a metal lever can be used to release the blade. In France, this blade shape is called yataghan. In the US I have heard it called a Turkish clip. I think that the “reinforced tip” on your knife is a bit unusual. I only have one such in my collection.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by RobT

The teat lock, ring pull, lack of a bolster, and the blade shape all argue for France. In France, this style of knife is known as a palm knife because the back spring is said to resemble a palm frond. It as also known by its Spanish name, navaja. The lock on the Spanish version tends to be rectangular rather than a round pin. Because the typical French version of this knife style doesn’t have a bolster, a ring pull is used as a blade release. The Spanish navaja of this type usually has a metal bolster so a metal lever can be used to release the blade. In France, this blade shape is called yataghan. In the US I have heard it called a Turkish clip. I think that the “reinforced tip” on your knife is a bit unusual. I only have one such in my collection.

Hello Rob,

Thank you very much for your detailed comment! Do you know when the lock system got forbidden in France? Could the reinforced tip be a sign that the knife is a hunting knife? I think it's ideal for skinning.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Chris Evans]

Hi Detlef,

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.

Cheers
Chris

[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

[RobT]

Detlef,

I don’t know if this type of lock is illegal to make, sell, and own in France (or in Spain for that matter) but I would bet that it is illegal to carry unless you are hunting or camping. When the carry restrictions came into effect I can’t say but this type of palm knife (with a cow horn hilt and without the “reinforced” tip) was the first French WWI trench knife and the knife maker Pierre Tarry Levigne (who went out of business in the 1930s) was importing Italian switch blades with teat locks at the end.
The reinforced tip may have started out as a hunting/skinning feature but I think it became an affectation on non hunting knives. The blade on my example is only 3” (about 7.6cm) which is on the small side for a hunting/skinning knife.
By the way, that's a darn good looking knife you have there.

Sincerely,
RobT