Sloan/Kingsway folding knives

[Frank Graves]

My first post to this informative forum.

I have this fine store display case holding 66 folding knives of various configurations and scales of silver, gold, cellulo##, tortoise shell and stag horn. Most of them are marked “Sloan/Kingsway” and some have numbers stamped on them matching the small labels adjacent to them on the board. One is marked William Needham who was a Sheffield maker and he may have been the one who really made all of these for Sloan and then marked them with that name. From an advertisement of 1933, L. G. Sloan, Ltd. had become associated with the Waterman's Pen Company res##ing that the same address in London as Waterman's d##. The advertisement shows a pen set, with a folding pocket knife in a Waterman's box and the ad states that many styles are available. The hallmarks of the silver scales indicate manufacture from 1930 to 1938.

Recently I found a Sloan marked knife on Ebay, with the number 10 stamped on it that is exactly like a knife on this board with a label showing “10” and the same stamping on the blade. Since I found this display board a couple of years ago, this is the first time that I have found a Sloan knife other than what is in my display. There must have been a catalog for this company showing all of these knives that were for sale, but I have yet to find one.

Is anyone here familiar with this maker or company? I really appreciate the input.