Trox Report post Posted August 31, 2016 Hi all leather tool freaks, I was lucky to buy a lot of old Saddlery tools from a closed down Norwegian saddlery, Henriksen & Jensen Skien Norway (Etbl. Early 1800 and closed down 1992). I bought them from the son of one of the partners. He showed a lot of dokumentation, diplomas (several best Saddlery in show, working drawings on everything from furniture to saddles/harness) . I did not have the heart to try talking him in to sell the dokumentations, it was hard a enough selling his father's tools. However he promised me to give me copies of the historical documents. This is the first time I have ever found any history on old Norwegian saddleries. I'm very excited with it, because I was afraid everything was lost. I bought a wooden tool box full of mostly old French leather tools, among other: two ploughs (modern type Blanchard 20 cm and older 10 cm), lovely stag handled circle cutters, Blanchard scratch compass and all kinds of tools a saddler needs. There was two nice round knifes in the box I never have seen the like of before. A 5,5 and a 6 inch that looks to be of French pattern but perhaps made in Swiss or Germany. That's just a guess based on ferulle and handle materials, they could very well be made in France or Spain (or anywhere else in Scandinavia or western European main land). What is unusual (but very wisely done), the blade tang goes right true the handle and are latched in the end (or what's the right English term for it is, please see pic). Just the same way we make ordenary hunting and decorative knifes (knife of silver worn with old national costume) here in Norway. I have filled the handles and ferrules with epoxi and are ready to clean them up, blades looks very good and have pretty hard steel. Have anybody here seen these maker stamps before, looks to be "cocks on grass bottom" with some letters above, perhaps " H F" . Later I will post documentation and pictures in the Historical forum and perhaps here. Thank you, Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simontuntelder Report post Posted September 5, 2016 Hej Tor, What a find! I've never seen that stamp before. But maybe some fresh eyes could give you new clues. Maybe the bird is a Phoenix? Rising from the ashes or burning up. What you read as HF looks more like AF to me or the letter Æ/AE to me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted September 5, 2016 Takk(thanks) Simon, not a bad suggestion, it's more like it. "Phoenix raising from the flames" that's Greek mythologi isn't it. A quick Google places the phoenix in Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Oriental Judaism and Christianity. Phoenix surrounded by flames (but not hurt by them), several cities in USA and Europe uses this symbol in their municipal emblem to denote the one time destruction and consequent rebuilding of the city. It's a very commonly used symbol, but now I have more to search for. It's a German coats of arm, along with several other countries, the search is on . Thanks Tor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trox Report post Posted September 15, 2016 I wonder if our tool expert Bruce Johnson have seen this maker stamp before Bump Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
