Manufactured in the mid-late 1800s by the George Wostenholm firm of Sheffield, England. The Wostenholm company moved into their huge Washington Works facility around 1848, perfectly positioning themselves to deal with the demands of the American market which exploded during the period of western expansion and the Civil War. This is a rare example of a folding knife made by the firm, which are rarely seen compared to their fixed-blade offerings. An almost identical example is pictured on p. 397 of "The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing An American Legend" by Flayderman. It measures 9 5/8 inches overall when unfolded with a 4 1/4 inch drop point blade. The left of the blade is marked with the "I*XL" trademark and the George Wostenholm maker's mark on the left ricasso. The guard is German silver with floral motifs and banners marked "LIBERTY AND UNION". The pommel is likewise German silver and has American patriotic motifs. It is fitted with antique ivory grip scales and a thin German silver nameplate on the left, which is blank.

Fine, the generally bright blade with some very light spotting. The German silver is lightly aged with some minor dents and a braised crack in the guard. The grips are very good with a small repair/splice in each panel and otherwise light handling marks. Mechanically fine, though the blade is slightly loose when unfolded.