Joseph Rodgers Year Knife (2022)

This film is of a lecture given by Nick Duggan on 9 November 2022 celebrating the 200th anniversary of the making of the Joseph Rodger's Year Knife initiated in Sheffield in 1822. With blades added since to represent the passing years, the final blade was added in 2000 to mark the Millennium.
The knife is on display in the Hawley Gallery at Kelham Island Museum where it is kindly on extended loan from Stanley Black & Decker who purchased the knife when Joseph Rodgers ceased business as an independent company.
The knife illustrates all the skill of various Sheffield craftspeople over many years, not just in blade forging and grinding but in the associated trades of pocket and spring knife manufacture. It is true to say that the knife is unique and there will never be another like it. It is truly one of Sheffield's treasures.
The lecture provides additional background as to the development of the Joseph Rodgers brand with its use of a range of exhibition knives, royal endorsement and an impressive showrooms to market and sell the company's products. Reference is also made to another world famous Rodgers' knife - the Norfolk Knife which was produced to exhibit in the Great Exhibition of 1851. This is currently exhibited in Cutlers Hall in Sheffield.
The film was developed as part of the Sheffield Treasures Project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A website developed by our earlier project giving detail of the huge array of table knife manufacturers in Sheffield over the last 200 years can be found at hawleysheffieldknives.com/. During 2022/23 this was further enhanced by the addition of information about spring and pocket knives as part of the latest NLHF project.
To find out more about the Hawley Collection and to donate, visit our website: www.hawleytoolcollection.com/

[@ianrosie4431]

Forget 200 years ago. In the 1970s, in homes where the ashtrays had adverts on them, "By Royal Appointment" still got an 'Oooh' [said slightly sarcastically]. Thoroughly enjoyed the Lecture. Thank you.

[@antiquebowieknifechannel4611]

Love this!

[@slick_slicers]

Great lecture, thank you! I really enjoyed it. Nice to hear you give Steven Cocker a mention. He’s made me a few knives that are on my KZbin channel along with around 100 other, mostly contemporary, Sheffield pen and pocket knives. Keep up the good work, please!