'World's smallest penknife' up for auction as part of extraordinary lifetime collection

The minuscule opening pocket knife is part of a Staffordshire man's lifetime collection of antique weaponry, which Hansons Auctioneers has called "extraordinary".

Made in Sheffield circa 1850, the unique penknife is so small it is dwarfed by a key fob. With the blade closed, the knife measures a mere 7mm.

Now, the remarkable item is up for grabs as part of a collection of 160 antique weapons which could achieve £40,000-£50,000 when it goes under the hammer on August 15.

The collection amassed by 79-year-old Brian Jackson over the decades includes swords, with some dating back to the Napoleonic Wars, daggers from all corners of the globe and antique pistols.

Brian started out on his collecting journey after receiving a gift of a bayonet from a relative at the age of eight, which set the seed for a hobby that’s lasted a lifetime.

The retired export finance manager, said: "My aunt’s friend gave me the tiny penknife in the 1950s. Apparently in the dim and distant past one of their family members became a master cutler at one of the big Sheffield cutlery firms.

"He made the knife and apparently won many a bet with people down the tavern that he had the smallest penknife in the world."

Matt Crowson, militaria valuer at Hansons, said: "Brian’s collection is extraordinary. The penknife, the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fascinating finds, has been in his collection since 1958.

"Enquiries were made with the Guinness Book of Records but, for whatever reason, it wasn't assessed.

"The smallest opening penknife recorded in The Guinness Book of Records, owned by Joanne Shaw in Canada in 1999, measured 8mm. So, the example set for auction is believed to be the smallest of its type in the world."

Matt added: "By scouring auctions and antique shops across the UK for decades, Brian has sourced objects from all over the world including Europe, China, Japan and the United States.

"The earliest items date back to the 1700s and the collection takes us right through to the First and Second World Wars.

“He came across several items by chance. For example, he spotted a man making holes to plant flowers with a Malayan kris, which is a type of dagger (estimate £80-100).

"Another star lot is a 19th century, iron Japanese Somen mask which dates back to the Edo Period of 1603-1868 (£800-£1,000). Brian bought it in Manchester when he was only about 15 from a big collector of Chinese porcelain.

"He also has rare pistols including a double barrel percussion cap pistol with spring-loaded bayonet (£800-£1,200) and a percussion cap pepper-box pistol (£500-£700).

"It’s been a privilege to handle so many fascinating historical objects."

Other items in the lifetime collection include a 19th-century or possibly earlier Chinese Pudao or ‘horse cutter’ broadsword, £1,000-£2,000; a fine 18th-19th-century Papal Chamberlain’s sword with possibly 17th-century blade, £400-£600; a WW1 era 1897 pattern infantry officer’s sword, £120-£160; a British 1803 pattern George III Napoleonic War era infantry officer’s sword, £120-£160; a French cuirassiers broadsword, dated 1822, £800-£1,000 and a 19th century Afghan tribal Khyber knife, £200-£300.

Mr Jackson, added: "I’ve always had an interest in guns since my childhood cowboys-and-Indians days but never thought they would be within my reach.

"One day I was chopping firewood - my household chore at the age of eight - and the axe shaft broke. I was given a WW1 bayonet by a family friend as something which would not break.

"Obviously this never chopped a piece of wood and was soon on display on my bedroom wall. This was in the early 1950s and it started a collecting hobby that has lasted a lifetime.

"I suppose it was the workmanship and how these things developed that was the real fascination. I like to research where they were made and discover their background.

"I acquired them mainly at auctions around the country and at antique and second-hand shops but I had some chance finds.

"I found the Malayan kris when I was walking the dog. I saw a gentleman planting some flowers and could not believe my eyes because he was using a kris to make holes in the ground.

“I asked if he would he sell it. He said no as it was his dibber, so I offered to get him a proper trowel. I returned with a trowel and fork and we did the exchange.

"He had the holder for the kris somewhere in the greenhouse. He went off and came back with a filthy black scabbard. When I cleaned it up it I was actually silver. That was a great find."

Mr Jackson went on to say: "Another chance discovery was a Westley Richards shotgun presented to the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1860 with silver plate on the stock.

"Apparently this was given by one of his relatives to my uncle who ran the Fox & Hounds Pub on the border of the Ingestre Estate in Staffordshire. I found it in the pub cellar many years later when it was given to me.

"Another time I was talking to an old farmer in a pub in Betley [Staffordshire]. We were admiring a sword on the wall and he told me about a rifle he’d found lodged on a beam in an old granary on his land. He invited me round to see it and I ended up buying it.

"I also have a Scottish broadsword which was kept under a relative’s bed in case of intruders; a Chinese Butterfly Sword found in an antique shop during a holiday in Margate and a Mau Mau knife brought back by a District Commissioner for Kenya when he retired to the UK.

"Over the years some items have been displayed on walls or display cases in my home but most have been kept in a large, locked room with high security.

"I very reluctantly took the decision to sell due to my age and the fact that my wife is concerned about the collection should anything happen to me. Everything is now safely with Hansons. I would like my finds to go to people who will appreciate them as much as I have."

The Brian Jackson Collection will be offered by Hansons Auctioneers on August 15. Catalogue, due live August 8: hansonslive.co.uk or the-saleroom.com. To find out more, email mcrowson@Hansonsauctioneers.co.uk.