Antique Folding & Pocket Corkscrews

Folding and pocket corkscrews are corkscrews designed to be carried safely on the person rather than kept on a sideboard or bar. The category is defined by portability rather than by mechanism, and spans roughly 250 years of design history: pre-industrial all-metal travelling pieces, mid-19th century silver-handled personal table tools, late-Victorian Sheffield sportsman's knives, Belle Époque German novelties, and 20th century French and German registered multi-tools.

About this collectionWhat is a folding or pocket corkscrew, and what is in this catalogue

Each piece in this collection solves the same fundamental problem (how to carry a corkscrew without exposing the worm) in a different way: by folding the worm into the body, by enclosing it inside a hollow handle, by collapsing both worm and handle through a double hinge, or by integrating the corkscrew into a multi-tool with other implements such as blades, shell extractors and adjustable wrenches.

Eighteenth century examples are typically all-metal, hand-forged and dual-purpose. Mid-19th century pieces often retain hand-forged Archimedean worms with square cross-sections, set into folding silver-handled bodies. Late-Victorian and Edwardian production introduces standardised mechanisms, named makers, registered designs and the figurative novelty tradition. The page sits inside the wider collectible corkscrews programme alongside the mechanical and figural sister silos.

Main typesThe five folding and pocket types represented in this collection

Together they cover most of the antique folding-corkscrew category as collectors define it.

Folding knife corkscrews

Multi-tool folding knives that incorporate a corkscrew alongside blades and other implements. The Harrison Brothers & Howson sportsman's knife is the late-Victorian Sheffield exemplar: a jigged stag-effect handle with nickel silver bolsters, a direct-pull worm, a spear-point advertising blade inscribed "John Odell / Farmers Friend", a folding button hook, removable tweezers and dual-bore shell extractors marked for 12 and 16 gauge. The mid-19th century silver-handled folder occupies an earlier point in the same tradition: engraved foliate-scrollwork silver scales, a hand-forged Archimedean worm of square cross-section, two additional blades.

Roundlet pocket corkscrews

A worm is stored inside a hollow cylindrical handle and protected by a threaded cap. To use, the worm is unscrewed from its socket, removed from the housing, and screwed into a transverse socket in the handle to form a T-bar for extraction. The Sterling silver American roundlet in this collection (c.1890 to 1910) carries applied Art Nouveau decoration along the cylindrical body and is a quintessential example of the luxury travel corkscrew of its period.

Folding figurative novelty corkscrews

Most strongly represented by the German "Ladies' Legs" tradition, in which the two handle scales are shaped as female legs with buttoned boots; deploying the worm produces a crossed-legs pose. Production was concentrated in Solingen and exported widely, particularly to Britain and the United States. Collectors distinguish numerous variants by stocking colour, stocking length (full or half), boot or high-heel form and the use of one or two celluloid colours. The German patent 21718 issued to Steinfeld & Reimer in January 1894 provides a firm post-quem date for the type as patented and is referenced in the standard collector literature. Ernst Lesser produced related figural designs including folding "Shoes" corkscrews from the same broad tradition.

Double folders and pre-industrial travelling corkscrews

The 18th century double folder in this collection collapses both the handle and the worm through two separate hinges, reducing the entire object to a compact stick form. Surviving 18th century examples typically combine the corkscrew with a secondary travelling function such as pipe tamping. The collection page makes no maker or regional claim where the listing offers none.

Folding bow corkscrew multi-tools

A forged steel bow frame functions as both protective housing and grip; tools fan out from a single pivot inside the bow. The example in this collection retains its original nickel plating, has eight integrated tools intact and is offered as European late 19th to early 20th century, with no maker mark.

French registered multi-tools

The Le Couteau Clé "MULTIPLE" Déposé extends the multi-tool tradition into 20th century French commercial production by integrating the corkscrew, blades and a spike into the body of an adjustable spanner. "Déposé" is the French equivalent of the British "Rd." or German "DRGM" mark and confirms a registered design. The MULTIPLE name and the wrench frame distinguish this from conventional folding knife corkscrews and place it in a different social register: a tradesperson's pocket tool rather than a gentleman's accessory.

Bow-frame multi-tools complete with all original tools and original finish are scarce. Replated and incomplete examples are common; original examples are not.

AuthenticationHow to identify a genuine antique folding or pocket corkscrew

Identification rests on four converging signals. None alone is conclusive. The combination is what matters. The wider category framework sits in the antique corkscrew identification guide.

1. Material. The material has to suit the period and the maker. Hand-forged steel with no secondary surface (no plating, no applied silver) is consistent with 18th century pre-industrial production. Engraved silver handles with hand-forged square-section Archimedean worms are consistent with mid-19th century production; the square cross-section is the diagnostic detail. Sterling silver bodies with applied (not engraved) decoration in the Art Nouveau idiom indicate American or European silversmithing of c.1890 to 1910. Jigged stag-effect synthetic handles with nickel silver bolsters indicate late-Victorian or Edwardian Sheffield commercial production. Striped or two-colour celluloid scales mounted to nickel-plated steel frames with cast nickel boots indicate German Solingen export production of the 1890s and 1900s. Chrome plating became standard in the 1920s and 1930s; on a piece offered as pre-WWI, chrome is a red flag.
2. Surface. Original surfaces are valued. Polished bright silver, replated nickel and pristine celluloid on a piece dated before 1915 are red flags rather than positives. Expect honest silver toning rather than high polish, nickel wear at high-contact areas rather than uniform brightness, hairline cracks in celluloid at rivet points (normal age behaviour, not structural damage), and even oxidation on 18th and early 19th century iron and steel pieces.
3. Marks and stamps. Look in the places makers actually marked their work. "Harrison Brothers & Howson" on Sheffield sportsman's knives, often with retailer inscriptions on the blade ("John Odell / Farmers Friend"). Sterling silver hallmarks on the cap or body of roundlet corkscrews. "DÉPOSÉ" on French registered multi-tools, often with a registered trade name such as "MULTIPLE". "DRGM" or "DRP" on German registered designs. Patent numbers on Ladies' Legs and other novelty German corkscrews; German patent 21718 (Steinfeld & Reimer, January 1894) is the canonical reference for the patented Ladies' Legs design. Some genuine 18th century pieces are unmarked, and an unmarked 18th century double folder is correctly described as such with no regional or maker claim beyond what physical evidence supports.
4. Mechanism. A genuine period mechanism moves as designed. Hinges should pivot with light resistance and no slack. Worms should be straight with a defined point. Roundlet caps should thread cleanly without binding or stripping. Multi-tool stacks should deploy without forcing. Replacement worms, replacement blades, replacement scales and married-up parts are common in this market and are usually visible to a careful eye.

Featured makersThe named producers represented in this collection

Harrison Brothers & Howson (Sheffield, England, c.1890 to 1910)

A long-established Sheffield cutlery manufacturer producing sportsman's knives, advertising-blade pocket knives and table cutlery. The collection includes a complete sportsman's knife with a corkscrew, advertising blade ("John Odell / Farmers Friend"), shell extractors marked Sheffield 12 and Sheffield 16, button hook and tweezers. Harrison Brothers & Howson pieces are documented and attributable; advertising-blade variants attract additional interest from collectors of Sheffield trade history.

Steinfeld & Reimer (Solingen, Germany, late 19th century)

Holders of German patent 21718 (January 1894) for the Ladies' Legs novelty folding corkscrew design. The patent is referenced in the standard corkscrew collector literature. The collection has carried both standard-stocking and "half stocking" Ladies' Legs variants.

Ernst Lesser (Solingen, Germany, late 19th into early 20th century)

Producer of figural novelty pocket corkscrews including folding "Shoes" designs in the same broad export tradition as the Ladies' Legs type. Ernst Lesser pieces have appeared in the collection and continue to be sourced.

Le Couteau Clé "MULTIPLE" Déposé (France, early to mid 20th century)

Registered French trade name for a multi-tool corkscrew built into the body of an adjustable wrench. The "Déposé" mark is the French formal equivalent of British "Rd." and German "DRGM" registrations. The MULTIPLE name and the wrench frame distinguish this from conventional folding knife corkscrews and place it in a different social register: a tradesperson's pocket tool rather than a gentleman's accessory.

Unattributed Solingen and 18th century English or Continental production

Many Belle Époque novelty corkscrews are unmarked or carry only retailer or export marks; they are correctly described as Solingen production where form, materials and finish support the placement, without specific maker attribution beyond what evidence allows. The 18th century double folder is offered without maker or regional attribution. Unmarked status is consistent with pre-hallmarking, pre-patent era manufacture.

ProvenanceThe Thomas Guenther Collection thread

Several of the pieces in this collection carry Thomas Guenther Collection provenance, with original catalogue references (TG-prefix numbers). A named-collection provenance signals that these objects have already passed through specialist research and cataloguing before reaching the present catalogue. Provenance does not replace the four authentication signals above but does shift the burden of proof: a piece with documented prior collector custody has already been vetted at least once externally.

Era & tradition250 years of folding and pocket design at a glance

Materials & surfaceCondition expectations across the catalogue

• Hand-forged iron and steel: even oxidation, no plating, no decorative treatment.
• Engraved silver handles: honest age toning, intact engraving, sound rivets or attachment to the underlying steel frame.
• Sterling silver roundlets: light surface wear, sound threading, correct hallmarks where present.
• Jigged synthetic scales (celluloid or composite): minor age-related shrinkage typical, pinned construction stable.
• Striped or two-colour celluloid scales: hairline cracks at rivet points are normal age behaviour and are not catastrophic.
• Nickel-plated steel: wear revealing underlying steel at high-contact areas, not uniform brightness.
• Worms: straight, defined turns, sharp points. Square-section forged worms on pre-mid-19th century pieces; round-section machine-cut worms on later commercial production.
• Multi-tool completeness: all original tools present is a major value factor. Missing tweezers, missing shell extractors, missing button hooks reduce collector value substantially even when the corkscrew itself is intact.

CollectingHow collectors approach folding and pocket pieces

Antique folding and pocket corkscrews are collected and displayed by one of four logics:

• By mechanism type. Building a roundlet collection, a Ladies' Legs collection or a bow-frame multi-tool collection.
• By maker. Harrison Brothers & Howson, Steinfeld & Reimer, Ernst Lesser, registered French Déposé production.
• By era. 18th century travelling corkscrews; mid-19th century personal table tools; Belle Époque novelties.
• By national tradition. Sheffield blade culture, Solingen novelty manufacture, French registered design, American silversmithing.

Most pieces in this collection are functionally serviceable. Where a piece is offered as display only because of condition, the listing states it.

AuthorityWhat sets this catalogue apart

Three qualities distinguish this catalogue from the broader market for antique folding and pocket corkscrews.

Date span. Pieces from the late 18th century through the early 20th, demonstrating roughly 250 years of corkscrew design history within a single collection.

Patent and maker-level cataloguing. Steinfeld & Reimer 1894 patent (21718), Harrison Brothers & Howson Sheffield attribution with retailer inscription, Le Couteau Clé "MULTIPLE" Déposé registered-name attribution. None of these are vague "antique European" placements.

Cross-category appeal. Most pieces will interest more than one collector audience. The Sheffield sportsman's knife attracts blade collectors and corkscrew specialists; the Sterling roundlet attracts Art Nouveau silver collectors and travel-corkscrew specialists; the Ladies' Legs attracts German novelty collectors, celluloid collectors and decorative-arts buyers.

The category is defined by portability rather than by mechanism. That frame is what holds 250 years of otherwise unrelated forms together.

FAQFrequently asked questions