Russell 10.75" Scimitar Carbon Steel Sapele Wood Handle USA 1950-80

Marks are lost on the blade, but the handle is clearly marked Russell. From the style of construction and logo on handle, manufacture in the 1950s to 70s is a safe bet.

This knife had been sharpened in a little and has been thinned down to a better cutting geometry, with a convex face for added food release and smoother cutting feel.

Russell Green River Works was the first American knife-maker to aggressively meet the new and growing American cutlery market, which was previously met with English imports from Sheffield. In the pre-Civil War time period of the 1830s to 60s, Sheffield engaged in a protracted trade war with the new American knife makers by dumping underpriced knives on the American market, in an effort to bankrupt companies such as J Russell, Lamson & Goodnow, and Harrington Cutlery. Russell's answer to this trade war was to offer wages double those being available in Sheffield and to incorporate skilled immigrant labor into their process.