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Silver fruit knife


Adrian Cook

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Hi there just bought this knife from an antique shops. Done some research on it and I think it's a thomas marples 1877 ornate silver M.O.P. fruit knife. Any chance that someone out there could confirm that .thanks in advance.

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6 hours ago, tozzin said:

Can't open the picture.

Sorry about that can't seem to find out what went wrong.try again later

20160619_214450.jpg

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You are correct it is a Thomas Marples Fruit Knife, that was his Forte, the date letter may be 187, ill confirm that later.

Thomas Marples was the younger brother of John Marples and was born in Sheffield in about 1833. His father was the Landlord of The Stags Head on Psalter Lane, in 1851 at the age of 18 he was in the census as a Fruit Knife Cutler living with his parents in Sharrow Moor, at the age of just 22 in 1855 he registered a Silver mark in Arundel Street and set up his business making fruit knives. How he started in cutlery isn’t known, but he did so right at the start of his career.   He produced lovely fruit knives made out of solid silver with mother of pearl handles, sometimes ornately carved. They can frequently found on eBay, the online auction website. Thomas's nephew, William Jackson who appeared as a silver fruit knife maker and was living with Thomas in the 1881 census. Thomas's works was at No 68 Headford Street, strangely enough I worked in that works in the late 1960s, the building was just full of workshops, it was the works of John McClory Cutlery, Thomas did move addresses but mainly stayed in the Headford / Milton Street area, he made a vey good living as in the 1870s his address was Holmfield Kenwood Park Road, when he retired he was listed as "retired Pearl and Tortoiseshell handle manufacturer" he died at home on the 30th of May 1912 leaving a huge fortune of £87,650 to relatives as his wife Mary Anna had died the year before, his nephew William H Jackson took over the business. Thomas was laid to rest in Ecclesall Churchyard.

Thanks to Tweedale's Directory Of Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers 1740/ 2010

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Sorry for not replying until now (forgot my password).thank you so much for all that information. I try and research as much as I can and sometimes I come up with the answers but most of the time I just need to have some one more knowledgable than I to confirm my findings.As you must gather by now I am a collector of antique-vintage and new sheffield knives of all kinds with a few good foreign ones as well so I hope it's OK for me to ask for help on identifying some of them  from time to time. Thanks again.Adrian. 

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8 hours ago, Adrian Cook said:

Sorry for not replying until now (forgot my password).thank you so much for all that information. I try and research as much as I can and sometimes I come up with the answers but most of the time I just need to have some one more knowledgable than I to confirm my findings.As you must gather by now I am a collector of antique-vintage and new sheffield knives of all kinds with a few good foreign ones as well so I hope it's OK for me to ask for help on identifying some of them  from time to time. Thanks again.Adrian. 

Don't collect any David Mellor knives as over 95% of them are made in Japan and their black handles kitchen knives, as good as they are, are made in China.

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They seem to be getting there fingers in everything don't they .thanks for that I will keep clear of them .

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