J Russell Green River Works 8" Carving Knife Hand Forged Carbon Steel & Stag ~1850s-1880s

J Russell Green River Works 8" bullnose with carbon steel blade, cast pewter bolster and stag handle set tight with five brass pins. This knife is from pre 1880 being that it has a hot stamp indicating it was made before the move to the turners falls and the switch to an acid etch mark in 1880. 

A knife like this would be used for much more than just carving meat, for many households this would be an all purpose knife taking the place of today's chef knife although it can't be used in the same way in the heel. The Stag handle is a less common material here.  

Russell Green River Works was the first American knife-maker to look to aggressively meet the new and growing American cutlery market which was being met with English imports from Sheffield. In the pre-Civil War time period of the 1830s to 1860 Sheffield engaged in a protracted trade war with the new American knife makers, dumping underpriced knives on the American market in an effort to bankrupt companies such as J Russell, Lamson and Goodnow, and Harrington Cutlery. Russell's answer to this was to offer wages double that being available in Sheffield and to incorporate immigrant Sheffield skilled labor into his process. 

8" blade 12.75" overall length 4.3 oz