Miners Candlesticks/Pocket Folder Open II

Miners Candlesticks

Pocket Folder Open II.jpg - POCKET FOLDING CANDLESTICK - Unique hand forged steel pocket folder, shaft and hook both fold and rotate independently snapping firmly into place each quarter turn, very small folder with full size thimble, 3 5/8 in. closed and 5 1/2 in. open, unmarked (This folding candlestick is one of the smallest folders I've ever seen and is even more interesting in that it's equipped with a full size thimble to hold a miner's candle. The maker's workmanship is exquisite and the folding mechanism looks like it was made by a machinist, a testament to the blacksmith's skill. The stick was purchased by a collector at a flea market in Denver, Colorado in 1968. The stick is unmarked but since the stick was found in Denver, it is thought the folder is of Colorado origin. My special thanks to Leo Stambaugh whose keen eye notes that this folder is very similar to the design of the Larsen patent folding candlestick shown as No. 238 in Wilson and Bobrink's Miners' Candlesticks Guide. The Neils Larsen folding hook and spike model was awarded patent No. 151,297 on May 26, 1874 while Larsen was living in Mill City, Colorado Territory. Larsen soon after moved to the Leadville area. The Larsen stick in addition to the folding spike and hook includes a fold out knife blade for cutting fuse. While somewhat smaller (the Larsen stick is 3 in. closed and 4 1/4 in. open), Larsen's patent and this pocket folder are a very similar design and share many of the same features including the folding mechanism, open thimble, hook shape and construction. The only known example of the Larsen patent is the patent model itself currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. The 1874 patent model is the earliest known example of a miner's candlestick with hook. It is quite interesting that this folding stick and the Larsen's patent stick without the folding blade look too much alike to be coincidental. Speculation that this could be a pre-patent model of Larsen's design or a copy of Larsen's design by a competent blacksmith makes the search for its history even more interesting. Research continues.)

Pocket Folder Open II | POCKET FOLDING CANDLESTICK - Unique hand forged steel pocket folder, shaft and hook both fold and rotate independently snapping firmly into place each quarter turn, very small folder with full size thimble, 3 5/8 in. closed and 5 1/2 in. open, unmarked (This folding candlestick is one of the smallest folders I've ever seen and is even more interesting in that it's equipped with a full size thimble to hold a miner's candle. The maker's workmanship is exquisite and the folding mechanism looks like it was made by a machinist, a testament to the blacksmith's skill. The stick was purchased by a collector at a flea market in Denver, Colorado in 1968. The stick is unmarked but since the stick was found in Denver, it is thought the folder is of Colorado origin. My special thanks to Leo Stambaugh whose keen eye notes that this folder is very similar to the design of the Larsen patent folding candlestick shown as No. 238 in Wilson and Bobrink's Miners' Candlesticks Guide. The Neils Larsen folding hook and spike model was awarded patent No. 151,297 on May 26, 1874 while Larsen was living in Mill City, Colorado Territory. Larsen soon after moved to the Leadville area. The Larsen stick in addition to the folding spike and hook includes a fold out knife blade for cutting fuse. While somewhat smaller (the Larsen stick is 3 in. closed and 4 1/4 in. open), Larsen's patent and this pocket folder are a very similar design and share many of the same features including the folding mechanism, open thimble, hook shape and construction. The only known example of the Larsen patent is the patent model itself currently on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. The 1874 patent model is the earliest known example of a miner's candlestick with hook. It is quite interesting that this folding stick and the Larsen's patent stick without the folding blade look too much alike to be coincidental. Speculation that this could be a pre-patent model of Larsen's design or a copy of Larsen's design by a competent blacksmith makes the search for its history even more interesting. Research continues.)

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