spotted knife

1) Knives with horn handles burnt or 'spotted' to resemble tortoiseshell.

The manufacture of so-called spotted knives was widespread in the cutlery trade. Scales of horn were burnt or 'spotted' to resemble tortoiseshell and a directory of 1787 listed 85 manufacturers who specialised in that technique in and around Sheffield. It was recognised as a product aimed at the cheap end of the market.

places Sheffield
dates 1787

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Photo by Kreuzschnabel CC BY-SA 3.0