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Langres folding stag horn knife
Hello knife experts.
I need help finding out where this knife may have been made. It is a family heirloom and passed down from my Great Grandfather to me. The story how it came to him in WW1...He was a medic officer for the duration of war and after his unit liberated some French village, a grateful knife maker presented this to him as a gift of appreciation. He wore it holstered when he was younger and on special occasions in his beloved city of San Francisco where he was a restaraunteur and hotel owner. We have pictures of him and Jack London playing billiards at Bimbos, where the blade seemed to calm down a number of agitated hustles when opened and presented on the table or bar. "Pa" was the ultimate gentleman, so kind and strong, he was much beloved in our family. This knife was his treasure form the war.
We would love to know how we could find out more of the beginnings of this prized possession.
Brian
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Permalink Reply by Brian Glenn Scott on
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Picture attached...I don't know how to put them on my post.
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It has LANGERS stamped into the blade.
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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on
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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on -
Brian-Actually, I read the name as LANGRES. That makes it a whole different ballgame--Langres, France is an area in
France that is known as a knife making area. One other possibility, a French knife maker used to stamp his knives as
Despres A. Langres. I have not yet found out if he ever marked his knives as merely Langres, or even if his name was actually Depres A. and Langres is where he lived. The style of your knife dates to the mid 1800's- A real gem. I'll keep looking for more info.
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John you are correct. It says LANGRES in all caps. Boy messing up the most important detail seems like a bad way to star off! Sorry.
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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on -
Brian- No harm no foul (grin). I can't type worth a flip myself. Langres, France is the probable location where the knife was made. I will investigate the Depres A. Langres possibility further.One question- Are there any file markings or design on the top of the blade? Believe it or not, often these were in a specific pattern which was the trademark of the maker, rather than actually stamping their name on the knife. If there are any such markings, send a picture, which might identify the maker and help narrow down when it was made.
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It doesn't have those distinctive markings/notches/grinding like I've seen on other French knives. It has very symmetrical elegant grind the length of the blade. The long lock blade spring/pin works fantastically and seems the most unique feature maybe to date it with a particular makers lock blade system, or maybe this was a standard way of locking the blade then.
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Here is the blade from the top...lookout...this thing is a razor.
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I just found this...new from knife maker Jacques Mongin... So many of his designs are just like this one and my pre- battle of Ardenne Heirloom!
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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on -
Brian-After a little more investigation I offer this--Langres, France was most certainly where the knife was made-Langres is a knife making center of France, and has been since the 17th century.This knife is a very old pattern of knife, often called a hunters clasp knife,ring lock knife, or ring pull knife. This style derived from the navaja style knife of Spain, and the ring pull locking mechanism developed around 1850, although yours is missing the actual ring which would have attached where your thong is.This style knife has often had connotations and a history of being a fighting knife, and this style was actually issued to French soldiers during WWI . They were sometimes called trench knives, particularly in the size of yours. As you have previously mentioned, razor sharp, and deadly as a fighting close quarter knife .As a clarification, the issued knives were not as elegant as yours, nor rough stag, or not as large, usually a smooth bone.Now a little geography lesson-Langres, France is an old fortified town in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, which would make perfect sense.A beautiful gift from a French knife maker, who obviously appreciated your grandfather greatly. BTW, these ring pull knives with the exposed backspring and ring lock are still being recreated these days. A wonderful piece of history and worth several hundred dollars today, especially with the back story. BTW, Langres, France is a small town of around 8000 people, but still a major knife center.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Squier on
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Very nice knife Brian, amd great family history with it. I wouldnt mind seeing a few more pictures of it. Is the leather pouch on the table a sheath for your knife?
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