Unmarked 8" Hunting / Carving Knife Hand Forged Carbon Steel Cast Pewter USA~1850-80s

Hand forged 8" carbon steel hunting / carving knife made in New England in the mid 19th century with hand forged (tapering at tang) carbon steel blade, and tropical hardwood handle with cast pewter inlayed bolster. 

Markings were gone when we found it, it had been sharpened in a bit and had some pits. It has been re-ground on the faces and refurbished and to bring it back closer to its original geometry. It is certainly New England made very likely from J Russell or Lamson & Goodnow of Massachusetts. 

Russell made a knife very similar to this for the Westward expansion that was marketed as a hunting knife, this is well before bowie like knives were used for hunting and knives that were more similar to butcher knives were the main ones in play. A knife like this would be put to work in all sorts of jobs from hunting to general food prep to self defense. Older examples of this style of knife will often have a narrower blade at the handle / blade junction, later 19th C examples often having more of a heel, older with a narrower waist.