Jowika Two-Blade Pocket Knife, Republic of Ireland, Bird Trademark, Black Jigged Scales, c. 1960s–1970s

The Piece

A slim two-blade jack knife with black jigged scales, a small inset oval escutcheon, and rounded nickel bolsters at both ends. The main clip-point blade carries a well-struck tang stamp: Jowika, above REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, with the maker's small bird trademark in a shield. Both blades open on a slipjoint spring. The steel has aged to a soft grey with scattered dark spotting, honest for a knife that lived in a pocket.

History & Provenance

Jowika is an unusual thing to find in a drawer in Nevada — pocket knives were not an Irish industry. The firm operated in Listowel, County Kerry, under a German parent, Stahlwarenfabrik Eugen Weber & Altenbach KG, and produced low-price-point knives through the 1960s and early 1970s before Albert Baer purchased it from Eugen Weber; knives from the same factory are also found marked STAG Ireland, and the plant was eventually turned over to a line of Imperial Tradesman knives and tools, closing shortly before the Imperial Schrade works at Ellenville. BladeForums

That connects this knife to the one above: both factories ended up under the same corporate roof. Collectors note the small bird trademark on the tang alongside the maker's name as the mark of interest, on knives that were cheaply made but serviceable — and those who own them report the Ireland-stamped knives are surprisingly well made, with good steel in the blades. Working knives, made in a small Kerry town for people who needed something in their pocket. All About Pocket KnivesAll About Pocket Knives

Product Details

Why It Belongs in Your Home

Irish-made pocket knives barely exist. A small factory in County Kerry, a German parent company, a bird stamped on the tang, and a working life that ended in someone's pocket a long way from Listowel — that's a better story than most objects three times the price can offer. Small enough for a coat pocket, honest enough to use.

Condition notes: Grey patina and scattered dark spotting to both blades, consistent with carbon steel. Scales sound, no cracks. Both blades open and close on a firm spring. Sharpened during working life.