Vintage Three Piece Empress Carving Set with Antler Handles

A vintage three piece carving set made of stainless steel with antler handles by Empress of Sheffield, England in original box from Snowdrift Antiques.
 
The John Moreton Company who produced the line “Empress” was founded in Sheffield, England in 1867.  The town of Sheffield, England has been the home of high quality cutlery companies since at least 1297. King Edward III had a Sheffield knife in his possession in the Tower of London in the 1350s.
 
This is a beautifully vintage three piece cutlery set made of shed antler handles and stainless steel. It was made under the line named “Empress” by the John Moreton Company of Sheffield, England, probably in the late 1950s or early 1960s. 
 
It features a stainless steel carving knife that measures 13 ½ inches, a stainless steel two pronged serving fork that measures 10 ¾ inches and a forged steel sharpening steel that measures 11 ¾ inches.  The handles are made of shed antler that are secured to the piece by a rod that passes through it and attached with a steel pommel on the end. The knife and fork are marked Empress, Stainless and Made in Sheffield, England. The steel is marked “Forged Steel/Sheffield”. All marks are shown in the images. 
 
The set is in its original box with the Empress mark inside the lid. It is a decorative gray and black box with red velvet lining.  The box measures 15 ½ inches by 4 ¾ by 1 ¾ . 
 
The cutlery and the box are in excellent vintage condition. They appear to have been well taken care of and used very infrequently.
 
This is a beautiful midcentury carving set with a rustic design and high end quality. It would look great in a cabin, lake home or mountain log house.