How To Date A Carl Schlieper Knife?

Knives from Carl Schlieper have high antique value due to their old age. But how would you know the value of a Carl Schlieper knife if you don’t know when it was made?

Well, that’s why, in this article, I’m going to tell you how to date a Carl Schlieper knife.

Simply put, you’ll have to examine the tang stamp, carved texts, the “eye” sign, and the construction of the knife in order to date a Carl Schlieper knife.

You’ll also have to reconcile these examined facts with the history of Carl Schlieper as well.

To date a Carl Schlieper knife, you need to know its history first. So, I provided the information you need for this job below. Let’s get started!

How To Date A Carl Schlieper Knife? 3 Effective Methods

There’s no simple rule when it comes to dating a Carl Schlieper knife. So, for your convenience, I have laid down a few of the most effective methods.

By following these methods,  you will be able to date a Carl Schlieper knife within the shortest time possible. Here we go:

A) Dating a straight line knife:

If you see the text “Carl Schlieper Solingen Germany” on a straight knife as in the picture below (“Solingen” over “Germany” and “Carl Schlieper” over “Solingen”), this knife is likely manufactured around 1965.

Or, if your straight knife has a “Carl Schlieper” text carved over “Solingen-Germany”, it’s likely been made around 1965 as well. (See the picture below).

Some knives have the “C.Schlieper” text carved in an arched way over the “Solingen” over the “Germany” text. These were manufactured somewhere between 1960 to 1981.

A few knives will only have an “eye” logo without any “Germany” or “Carl Schlieper” text carved on them. These knives were made back in the 1950s. (See the image below).

B) Examining the handle shields:

In case your “German eye” knife has a handle shield that is fully blank without any carved text whatsoever (like the image below), it was manufactured before the 1970s.

On the other hand, some knives will have a handle shield that has the “eye” symbol and the text “Solingen” carved on it (as in the picture below). These were made after the year 1970.

C) Checking the banner edge on the knife blade:

Some knives will have “Carl Schlieper” over the “Solingen-Germany” text along with the “eye” symbol on the blade. This type of knife dates back to 1981.

See the picture below to pinpoint if your knife also has this characteristic.

In addition to that, a few rare knives will also have three “eye” symbols along with the text “PREMIUM QUALITY” over “HAMMER FORGED” over “Solingen-Germany”. These knives have likely been manufactured during the mid-1980s.

Additionally, some knives that have been manufactured after 1895 also have a “fan” tang stamp on the blade of the knives. Also, note that “fan” carved knives were manufactured up until 1979 (from 1895).

So, if your knife has a fan symbol carved in it, it must have been made between 1895 to 1979.

A few of the knives from Carl Schlieper will have the text “El Gallo” carved over their blades. These knives have most likely been handmade in the 1960s.

Some knives also had the text “El Gallo.” These have not been made since 1981. So, any knife with this type of carving is likely to be made before 1981, see the picture below.

A type of rare knife that had blades attached on the two sides of its handles was manufactured between the 1980s and 1993. Only 300 pieces of this type of knife were available in that era.

You will see a Carl Schlieper “eye” along with “Carl Schlieper” text above the “HAMMERED FORGED” text above the “Solingen-Germany” text in these knives. You can use the picture below to pinpoint this type of knife.

Carl Schlieper Knife History (In Brief)

Carl Schlieper started its journey as a hardware manufacturer business entity in the 18th century (the exact year is not known) in Germany.

In its preliminary years, it only manufactured several types of hardware such as locks, steel safes, bathroom fixtures, heavy machinery, coffee grinder, tea maker, etc.

But, after World War II, in 1945, it started making cutleries and handmade knives. Due to the top-notch construction and aesthetic design, the knives were extremely famous both in Europe and North America.

As Carl Schlieper engraved an “eye” like symbol on their knives from the early 1900s people know this ancient company as “German eye,” “The eye knives company”, “Eye brand knife company”, etc.

During the years from the early 1900s to 1965, Carl Schlieper made many types of knives, including straight line knives, backlock knives, etc.

Its logo and design changed from having only the Carl Schlieper text engraved on its knife to having an eye-shaped symbol and “Solingen Germany” text engraved on the knives as well.

This knife manufacturing company continued its business in 1993 until it went bankrupt. After that, the knives from Carl Schlieper are known to have great antique value to vintage collectors.

Challenges To Date A Carl Schlieper Knife

Just like any other antique item, dating a Carl Schlieper knife is also extremely challenging. It’s because of the following facts:

1. Extended time in the antique market

Since Carl Schlieper knives have not been manufactured since 1993, there are only a handful of Carl Schlieper knives available as of today.

In addition to that, over 120 years, the knives that have been made have physically deteriorated as well. So, examining certain symbols, signs, and texts is difficult right now.

2. Change of location

Although Carl Schlieper started its journey as a hardware manufacturer in Remscheid, Germany, it later on moved its manufacturing plant to Solingen.

That’s why, as the manufacturing facility changed, the construction and quality of knife making also changed during the years. Hence, dating a knife has gotten more confusing.

3. Lack of official catalogs:

Each knife usually comes with its own catalog when it is made by the Carl Schlieper company. Now, over the last 100 years, very few catalogs for knives made by the Carl Schlieper company are still available.

That’s why dating a German eye knife to its exact origin is extremely difficult nowadays.

FAQs

In this section, I will answer some related questions that people often ask on blade forums. Here we go:

1. Is it possible to pinpoint the exact year a Schlieper knife was made?

Sometimes it’s possible, and sometimes it’s not. Depending on the physical construction and the physical signs on the knife, it’s often possible to pinpoint the era when a Carl Schlieper knife was made. But, finding out the exact year is not always possible.

2. Does dating a Carl Schlieper knife increase its value?

Yes, absolutely. Finding the exact time frame when a knife was made provides it a definite antique value. That’s why dating a knife always increases its current market value.

Final Takeaway

Well, that’s all there’s to it, people. Now that you’ve clearly understood this query, how to date a Carl Schlieper knife?

As you can see from the above discussion, dating a Carl Schlieper knife is not a rookie job.

Rather, you should seek help from a professional antique knife collector for correctly dating a knife.

However, if you follow the guide I have provided above, you should have a sound idea of when your Carl Schlieper knife was made.