The rear, fixed jaw has a brass reinforcing plate on the inside of the stem, and the smaller, engraved plate on the outside, apparently to repair an early crack in the wood. The 'Liberty' and 'Freedom' legends are engraved in elaborate copperplate, suggesting that the plate originally formed part of another object, although if so, it has been adapted very well. A slightly indistinct stamp in the bottom of the stem appears to read P.HYFE N.Y., which, with the two engraved words, suggests an American origin.