Victorian Sheffield Oatcake / Havercake Knife — Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Cutlers to Her Majesty, Stag Handle, c.1837–1901

A Victorian oatcake knife by Joseph Rodgers & Sons, holders of the Royal Warrant to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. The blade is stamped with the V·R cypher, the Joseph Rodgers star and Maltese cross trademark, and the full legend Cutlers to Her Majesty, dating this piece to the Victorian era (1837–1901).

The oatcake — or havercake, from the Old Norse hafre for oats — was a northern English staple, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where oat flour was mixed with milk, left to ferment overnight, and cooked on a large flat bakestone. This knife was purpose-made for flipping those large, fragile oatcakes on the stone: the long, wide, flexible blade with its pronounced offset bolster functions as a spatula, keeping the hand clear of the heat while allowing the cook to slide cleanly under the cake. Examples are extraordinarily rare to find today.

The stag handle is solid and secure, with a nickel silver bolster and end cap in good order. The blade shows honest use and age-appropriate patina consistent with a working kitchen knife of 150+ years.