Dixon & Sons Extractors – Cartridge Pullers, Shooting Gudgets with Dog Whistles, combination whistles & Other Dual Function Combination Whistles. II. b. A Strauss

Dixon & Sons Extractors & other combination whistles. A Strauss

Underconstruction 
A photo of 6 examples enlarged from the Sheffield City Collection;


Model #104R made late 1870s and later, Length; 75 mm Powder primer and picker combined with dog whistle.
Here is a drawing of this model #104N as appears in the 1882 catalogue
and in the Sheffield city collection.Model #220N from the same catalogue & period.
Model #220 as seen in the catalogue and actual one in closed position.
You may note that all this combination- shooting gudgets -multitools – with whistles, used round dog call whistles that were made as separate models before.Model #220N Powder primer with outside self-acting picker for gun nipples.

Model #220N as stamped on whistle was made late 1870’s early 1880s, shows in the 1882 catalogue.

Next; Moffatt’s Patent #11396 registered 1887. It included a spring blade which comes out between the two cartridge puller claws.

Continue reading Dixon & Sons Extractors – Cartridge Pullers, Shooting Gudgets with Dog Whistles, combination whistles & Other Dual Function Combination Whistles. II. b. A Strauss

Dixon & Sons Round Britannia Metal Whistles & Model #49. Part I.e. A Strauss

Dixon & Sons Round Britannia Metal Whistles & Model #49.

James Dixon  started making Britannia Metal (Invented c.1770) whistles Before 1850, Here is a group photo of 16 round pea britannia metal whistles,
11 of which were positively identified as made by Dixon & Sons, two were later found in a German (Marked as such).
Some marked X still need a second close examination dew to newly discovered catalogues by other makers.

Model #10 was made in two sizes, a distinctive Dixon’s Flushed Pillar Top Finial.
See the two sizes made in the group photo above top right is the larger model and 3rd from top left the smaller. This model was made in two sizes, but other earlier versions are noted;

Continue reading Dixon & Sons Round Britannia Metal Whistles & Model #49. Part I.e. A Strauss

James Dixon & Sons Round Brass & German Silver Round Whistles (Part I.d.) A. Strauss

James Dixon & Sons Round Brass & German Silver Round Whistles (Part I.d.)
A. Strauss

After the First Early period 1800 to 1835 and later up to 1865 which was reviewed here with early examples I  move forward to look at some more German Nickel or Nickel Silver & Brass whistles, not it in chronological order.
Cracking the general early date code of whistles in the article about Stevens & Sons was a Benchmark, which enabled a clearer view of another giant whistle maker – Dixon & Sons. At the top a whistle which had been made by James Dixon the founder himself. (See next Paragraph).

Continue reading James Dixon & Sons Round Brass & German Silver Round Whistles (Part I.d.) A. Strauss

James Dixon & Sons, Part I. b. Round Ivory Bone & Horn Whistles. A.Strauss

19th Century Ivory Bone & Horn Whistles by James Dixon & Sons , Part I. b.
See Part I and sub parts.

Dixon started turning Ivory & wood whistles while still named Dixon & Son In the early 1820s, and may be earlier, Horn whistles were probably made at the same period but Pressed horn whistles were made later, probably around the late 40s. Model # 15, made in Horn as well, Model #5 (1883 Catalogue).


Dixon Octagonal whistle made in Ivory & Horn with typical Dixon top (Although Linegar used a similar top design) Here you can see another round Bone whistle
with the same top.

Model #6 Stag Horn, Catalogue mentions #6C ‘Stag Horn 2nd Quality’
and #6CC ‘common quality’

Next is a larger horn very old dog call with nice patina.

A later stag horn Model #6 variatin.

Left to right: 33.5mm First Period, / 53.5mm of top quality / Bone; 66.6mm /Ivory; 72mm (Probably model #7L) one of their most expensive whistles at the time.

More Ivory whistles, Left;  44mm right; Oval shaped 46mm similar to Model number #47 in N.P Brass Continue reading James Dixon & Sons, Part I. b. Round Ivory Bone & Horn Whistles. A.Strauss

James Dixon & Sons Part I. a. Round Whistles. A.Strauss

PART I.a. Underconstruction

ROUND & ROUND PEA WHISTLES

This part starts with metal whistles (one wooden) excluding Britannia metal made whistles which are to be uploaded later, and continues with Ivory,
Horn & Stag horn made whistles. Materials & Identifying features for Dixon whistles would be discussed later. The Part dealing with round whistles terminating with an Animal Head can be viewed here, Part I here,The begining  of Part II. a., Here.
Dew to the length PART I of the article was divided into 7 parts, all posted. 

Dixon’s whistle’s timeline divided roughly to three periods over the 19th century;
Early
– Pre 1835 Dixon, Dixon & Son
Middle – 1835 Dixon & Sons
Later 19th Century c. 1865 – 1900

The earliest whistles Dixon made were round whistles.
These were very sturdy cast or machined from one metal rod with no hole at top, the drilled hole came later,  I believe the early ones were made mostly for military use. and later quality was upgraded in terms of materials and designs for the elite, sportsmen, and later for railways.
A very early type: A special knot was used to tie a lanyard to the whistle’s top;
 This whistle uses the “Sheffield Fipple” (a term I coined here) which is discussed in details, in a later paragraph here, and the round metal band below mouthpiece which may well be unique to Dixon (to be verified).

The next photo shows another very early Dixon on the left with the same features but a different top design, mushroom like.
A very early type beside the ‘next generation’

Continue reading James Dixon & Sons Part I. a. Round Whistles. A.Strauss

James Dixon & Sons Conical Whistles Part II.a. By Avner Strauss

  Dixon & Sons History and whistles in the 19th Century.*

PART II. a. ( See Part I  and Part I.a.)

Dixon & Sons  Conical Whistles, Beaufort type Whistles.**
Underconstruction 
It should be noted that all conical whistles which many call Beaufort type, were classified as RAILWAY whistles in the 19th century Dixon catalogues.

TWO WINDOWS FLAT DIAPHRAGM MODELS
Model # 43 & #43S Railway whistles with Ivory Mouthpiece were made for MANY years. These are listed in the 1883 price list.  We should try to date the earlier ones. 

Continue reading James Dixon & Sons Conical Whistles Part II.a. By Avner Strauss

Dixon & Sons Animal Head Whistles. Part I. c. A. Strauss

Dixon & Sons Animal Head whistles. Part I. c. A. Strauss

This is part of a very long article to come, Here you can see the First part.
to Part I.a Round Whistles 

James Dixon & Sons Dog Whistles, Dog’s Head whistles Models #17, # 16, #29 From his 1883 catalogue.

Dixon started making Animal head whistles c. 1850, by 1883 there were at least
6 Dog’s head models and 5 Boar’s head whistles.
All appeared in Catalogues as Dog Calls.

Dog’s Head Whistles

Pointer’s head whistle was made in 4 materials :
Ivory,
Bone &
Britannia metal
Pressed Metal

The fipple was called TONGUE and made of Ebony wood, Glass eyes were used. 
Ivory Dog whistle Dated 1853 (Courtesy of whistlecollection)

Price List & Drawings animal head whistles, Used Dog Calls, taken from J. Dixon & Sons 1883 Catalogue.


 Above Model #16S. Model #16S in Ivory, Small size, under 2 inch

Model #16 Ivory Middle size.

A Dated Example, Dec. 24 1864 Model #17
Large size with Ebony tongue-fipple.
Model #19 was the same as #17 but made in Bone
Both large size and Window up.We have no record of a model #18.

It may well be that by 1883 they stopped the production of  model #18
which I believe was the same as model #17 but in BRITANNIA METAL.
( Pewter & Britannia Metal Dog head whistles are the more commonly met with, and were made in England & Germany. T. Yates made many variations and it seems very likely that Dixon & Sons made these as well, but it is a subject I still have to carefully check in order to make a definitive conclusion. Note that there are Britannia metal models mentioned in the catalogue excerpt which had not yet surfaced or identified, If you suspect you do have one, kindly send a photo)

Dixon & Sons, Model #17 Large, Ivory Ebony Tongue and glass eyes.

4  Dog head models had window down
Model # 16S very small in Ivory
#16 Ivory window down Middle size.

Model #29 was made in pressed horn, Window down
angled body.

#30 was the same as #29 but in Britannia Metal.
An actual example of #30 was not yet seen by the author.

Boar’s  Head Whistles
All 5 Models with window downward.

Dixon & Sons Whistle Model #24, Pressed Horn.

Boar’s head whistles were used in 5 models,
pressed horn (M#24)
Pressed Horn with White eyes (#25).

Three Models of the Boar’s head were made in Britannia metal with ebony tongue, 3 sizes small, middle, & large (#26, #27, #28).
No actual example of the Britannia metal ones has yet surfaced.

Full article in 9 sub-parts and links;

James Dixon & Sons Whistles & History In the 19th Century. A. Strauss
The full article is in 9 sub-parts. 
Part I (6 chapters)

1) Brief History and data (19th Century)

2) Early Period Round Whistles and ‘The sheffield Mouthpiece & Fipple’ I. a.,
3) Round Ivory & Horn I.b.
4) Animal Head Whistles, I.c.

5) Round Brass & German Silver Whistles. Signal Whistles and ‘Pig nose’ Whistles
I.d.
6) Round Britannia Metal Whistles & Model #49. Part I.e.
Part 2,   More whistles by Dixon & Sons, including
7) Beauforts,
8) Extractors, combination whistles, Shooting Gudgets and other combination whistles. II. .b
9) James Dixon & Sons Other Rare Whistle Models & Designs. II.c. 

Article, Photos and content by Avner Strauss, all rights reserved ,
no part of this webpage is to be used without the explicit permission of the owner. Email : info@avnerstrauss.com
Comments & question are welcom.
Whistle museum.


 

James Dixon & Sons Whistles & History In the 19th Century. Avner Strauss

James Dixon, Dixon & Son, James Dixon & Sons Whistles, A Brief History of Whistles in a Few Parts. Avner Strauss

Under construction, kindly drop in occasionally for updates.

                                        Whistle Model # 55 by Dixon & Sons

INTRODUCTION

Recently I have been digging through layers of “modern archeology”, specifically of whistles in the 19th century. Decade by decade, I have been “peeling” off the layers to reveal earlier dates. Identifying and discovering new whistles and information is a fascinating and rewarding subject for me to engage with. Discovering the first examples of dated escargots, the Bean Police, or Stevens model #27, are just a few examples. Likewise, discovering previously unknown whistle makers and bringing to light new information was a great reward for years of researching. Each discovery leads to new understandings, which, in turn, lead to an ever-increasing interest. I take great pleasure in sharing my thoughts and findings and wish to someday open a real whistle museum as well as publish my research, thus making everything even more accessible.

Dixon & Sons was one of the four large whistle makers in England up to 1880. While T. Yates and Stevens, and W. Dowler, the other three makers, were large, Dixon was, by far, larger. The family’s history and products are well documented and I can turn the attention of readers to one of few books. Here is a link to a PDF of one of them. In what follows, I shall concentrate on whistles and give a short overview of their history.

I started my research after coming across the 1st known TNT whistle stamped by Dixon (2006). I now know there are two of them. After I posted my first bit of research about Dixon on Wikipedia, someone noted that it should be erased as it is doubtful that a company by that name ever existed… Today, there are already hundreds of articles and photos, as well as many other resources. However, the subject of whistles is relatively still little-researched, and therefore I hope this text will contribute to collectors and others interested in whistles.

Here is an old post I wrote about Dixon (it includes mistakes, but since it was archived somewhere else, I cannot revise it): http://archive.is/RuZZb

The article shared here is, hitherto, the most comprehensive essay about the subject of Dixon & Sons whistles. There are, of course, many whistles I know of and did not include, as well as many that are still waiting to be discovered.

The full article is in 9 sub-parts. 
Part I (6 chapters)

1) Brief History and data (19th Century)
Part I.a. Round whistles by Dixon & Sons;
2) Early Period Round Whistles and ‘The sheffield Mouthpiece & Fipple’ I. a.,
3) Round Ivory & Horn I.b.
4) Animal Head Whistles, I.c.

5) Round Brass & German Silver Whistles. Signal Whistles and ‘Pig nose’ Whistles
I.d.
6) Round Britannia Metal Whistles & Model #49. Part I.e.

Part 2 (3 chapters)
More whistles by Dixon & Sons, including
7) Beauforts,

8) Extractors, combination whistles, Shooting Gudgets and other combination whistles. II. .b
9) James Dixon & Sons Other Rare Whistle Models & Designs. II.c. 

As a rule, my observation is that many whistles made as DOG CALLS did not use a pea. (A.S*)
A small collection of 41 whistles was given by the Dixon family in 1938 to the city of Sheffield, and was exhibited at the city hall. There are many whistles which Dixon made during the 19th century and are not among these.

You may take a CLOSE look and note that 27 are ROUND WHISTLES, and 6 more are round whistles combined with shooting gudgets.

PART I

The James Dixon & Sons Company was a family-run business for 170 years (up to 1876) and was located at Cornish Place for over 180 years (up to 1992).
James Dixon was the Founder company established 1806.
James Dixon later  Dixon & Sons were one of the major British manufacturers in the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. They were well known as manufacturers of pewterware, electroplated Britannia metal, silverware, and electroplated nickel silver. Their product range included hundreds of items for domestic use in the kitchen (inc. bowls, cutting-tools), and the dining room (e.g. tea services, cocktail shakers and mixers), and items like candlesticks for general household use. They were also a world leader in manufacturing shooting accessories through the nineteenth century, and exported powder flasks in large quantities to America. While Dixon & Sons were known for their whistles, all of their products were of outstanding quality. Continue reading James Dixon & Sons Whistles & History In the 19th Century. Avner Strauss

Stevens & Sons Round Whistles & Some Special Ones, Part C. by Avner Strauss

Stevens & Sons Whistles (Part C)

Part A 
Part B
Part D

Contents 

Dating Metal Plates on Stevens Whistles by periods (4 periods) 

A Historic Whistle Discovered,
And few important dated ones. 

EARLY round whistles Pre Mid. 19th Century made
by or attributed to Stevens & Son

The Numbered Whistles (Whistle Models) & Numbered with Plates

THE ARTICLE IS STILL under construction


Plates found on whistles by Stevens & Son- Sons 
dating and examination of plates & examples

The common plates can be devided into 4 groups and periods. * and **
Here they are in chronological order:
Continue reading Stevens & Sons Round Whistles & Some Special Ones, Part C. by Avner Strauss

The Bell Whistle, Stevens & Sons & Francis Webb the Inventor. Avner Strauss

Stevens & Sons Bell whistles, PART D. (To part A)

Francis  West ( 1789–1867) Was the inventor of the Bell Whistle. ( 2017 News)
Located at 83 Fleet Street London, 1829 to 1845 (some say 1850), In 1836 He used ‘West Inventor’ on Improved stanhope  Lens, (See photos), lens Made in Brass in German Silver & Silver. In 1839 he invented the Camera and also was a Publisher Optician and a man of many talents; a noted microscope maker, toy maker, and publisher. In 1939 he advertises a Fox Talbot ‘heliographic camera’ in The Mirror, the first camera to be offered to the public.

Is seems that the bell whistle was invented by him in the late 1930’s.  It is first mentioned in a book written c 1847 as “The Acron whistle(Bell Pattern)”
(See Part A).

Here are 3 bell type whistles, Invented by F. West  manufactured by Stevens & Sons, West probably sold these in his shop on Fleet st. In general  these are miniatures inspired by the large steam whistles used on locomotives of early Victorian times.

3 Bell type whistles believed to be made by Stevens & Son,  Though no whistle with his name was ever seen, but one may read about the possible reason here.
Continue reading The Bell Whistle, Stevens & Sons & Francis Webb the Inventor. Avner Strauss