Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 10th August 2022, 01:01 AM

Thank you for sharing this, and especially for the details from the research you have thoroughly completed! I have always thought that old tools were often a kind of interesting parallel to old weapons in that obviously many types (not pliers of course) indeed became used as weapons as required. Also many weapon types, bill hooks, sickles, etc were redesigned into certain forms.

In many cases makers of weapons doubled into making tools as well.

This marking is of course not related to the 'running wolf of Passau', but more likely the running fox used on blades in England, most notably in Birmingham in mid 18th c. and which seems to have possibly derived from northern England with the Shotley Bridge blade works. Nearby Sheffield also provided some blades as well as cut ware.

It would be interesting to learn more on the adoption of this mark by this manufacturer. Intriguing history.

First pic is a running fox on a blade believed from Shotley c. 1690s(?)
Next an apocryphal example (Gardner ref) of similar in Austria
Next, the Passau 'running wolf' as used there and later Solingen, more of a stylized chop mark form

10th August 2022, 01:01 AM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,193	Thank you for sharing this, and especially for the details from the research you have thoroughly completed! I have always thought that old tools were often a kind of interesting parallel to old weapons in that obviously many types (not pliers of course) indeed became used as weapons as required. Also many weapon types, bill hooks, sickles, etc were redesigned into certain forms. In many cases makers of weapons doubled into making tools as well. This marking is of course not related to the 'running wolf of Passau', but more likely the running fox used on blades in England, most notably in Birmingham in mid 18th c. and which seems to have possibly derived from northern England with the Shotley Bridge blade works. Nearby Sheffield also provided some blades as well as cut ware. It would be interesting to learn more on the adoption of this mark by this manufacturer. Intriguing history. First pic is a running fox on a blade believed from Shotley c. 1690s(?) Next an apocryphal example (Gardner ref) of similar in Austria Next, the Passau 'running wolf' as used there and later Solingen, more of a stylized chop mark form Attached Images Last edited by Jim McDougall; 10th August 2022 at 01:17 AM.