James Dixon & Sons
J Dixon & Sons (James Dixon & Sons) founded 1804 in [[Shefield], a large scale british manufacturer of shooting accessories , high precision tools and whistle makers renowned for their outstanding quality.
Their registered trade mark since 1881 was trumpet & Banner .
History
Whistles first appeared in a Dixon catalog in 1883 though some of their whistles appeared in Guns, rifles & sporting goods catalogs of American manufacturers & distributors as early as 1872 under Dog calls made of Britannia metal, ( J. H. Johnston at Great western gun works,Pittsburgh, PA. catalog ).
Early models of Dixon horn made Round pea whistle type were in use with carriage drivers & railway conductors since the 1840s and mailmen of the post office as early as 1850 .
Models, whistle types & Materials
Dixon were making whistles off sterling Silver, German silver also known as nickel silver, gun metal, britannia metal, ivory , horn . and using cocoa wood for fipples.
Dixon models were intended mostly for out door Sporting goods , hunting related dog calls , shooting gudjets combination whistles, extractors of various kinds and round whistles in variable sizes of over 50 different models , Beaufort whistles & double chamber type .
Dixon did not make Escargot-type whistles. It was not known that Dixon & Sons made General service whistles (GSWs) until 2006 when one was discovered .
Body stamps
Most of Dixon whistles found are not stamped as it was not customary to stamp whistles at earlier victorian era exept ones made of sterling silver .
As a result all of dixon stamped whistles are very rare and the ones stamped J. Dixon & Sons . would be a bit less rare and so is the Dixon Logo of Trumpet and a Banner that hangs of it .
Stamps found are: " Dourham county constabulary " on Tappered round whistles , some refer to as short beauforts.
Distributors name stamps found ; C. Parker Late Merry Parker & Merry , Merry Phipson & Parker, C. Parker ,PriestOxford St. , F. Sykes , Patstone Southhampton , Swaine & Co. London .
"Nimrod " and " Patent No.33196 " ( Moffatt's patent 11396 of 1887 ) are to be found on extractors and shooting gudjets beside stamps of numbers 8 12 & 16 That show the , extractor ([cartridge puller]) gauge.
Some rare sterling silver whistles are found with the standart British silver hallmarks of the time and initials J.D & Sons.
external links
- J Dixon & Sons Beaufort whistle c 1860s picture at the Whistle museum .|