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BUFFALO HUNTER’S SKINNING SET – W/ FULL SET OF
KNIVES AND SHARPENING STEEL: This is a
wonderful 19th Century skinning set as would
have been used by the commercial buffalo hunters on the
Western plains. While almost certainly every skinner in
each of the outfits, both large and small, would have
had his own set, and given the large numbers of men
involved in the commercial slaughter of the buffalo at
its height there must have been quite of few of these
sets in use, relatively few have survived the passage of
years and even fewer have survived with the set of
knives intact.
The case or block in this set was commercially made and
is very well executed, likely one of the reasons this
set survived.
The block measures 4"
in diameter at the top, 3” in diameter at the bottom,
and 9" high, and consists of a wood base covered with
leather. Aside from the normal bumps and dings and a
few worming holes (visible in the photos) the leather
covering is intact, as is the seam that runs the length
of the block. The internal "wagon spoke" arrangement
that separates the knives is a divider that forms five
sections that enclose each knife for the full length of
the block. This divider is also made of wood and is
capped on the top with a tin plate. There is a center
hole that holds the sharpening steel. There are two
straps on one side of the block that feed through two
loops formed on body of the block. Both straps are full
length, complete with the buckles and standing loops and
each strap has an iron ring that served to attach the
block to hooks on the skinner’s belt or saddle. Both
straps appear original in every way and I’m quite sure
they are original to the block.
The block came
with the knives and sharpening steel as you see them and
the set looks like it has been together for a long time,
not one that was assembled as a later collector could
find and assemble the knives.
The sharpening steel
measures 14” long, and the five knives are graduated in
length, measuring from just over 12” to 8 ½”.
Four of the five
knives have matching pewter bolsters where the blade
joins the grip. The grips of all five knives and the
steel all have a matching color and level of patina
leading me to believe the set is original to each other
and to the block. The blade of one knife is marked
“Clipper Sharp Clyde” and the sharpening steel is marked
"Goodnow Mfg. Co.". Goodnow was a large cutlery company
in New York during the 19th Century which had a contract
to manufacture the individual soldiers’ mess utensils
for the army beginning in 1874.
Overall as these sets go, this one is very impressive.
While none of these skinning sets are common, adding
such a set with these features and the matching set of
knives and steel will certainly make a nice addition to
a display of a Sharps, Remington or any other buffalo
rifle display.
SOLD
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