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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. $3850
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