Doorknob collectors want to be able to communicate with each other about the knobs they are collecting. Therefore, the Antique Doorknob Collectors of America use a system developed by Leonard Blumin in his book Victorian Decorative Art. This book is available by going to the Book section of this website.
  
The knobs are not only grouped according to their appearance, but also by the school of design, manufacturer, and the date they appeared in a catalog. Here we will only be concerned with the general appearance of the knob. The manufacturer and date are given when known.

The knob above: See TDC #100

 

Representative knobs with recognizable designs of animals, people, or objects on them.		Mallory Wheeler 1880
Asymmetric knobs with a single overall design on the surface.		Russel & Erwin 1885
Odd Shaped These knobs are generally not the round knob that you generally think of. They may be hexagonal, curvaceous, rectangular, etc., or a handle of some sort.		A set of screen door knobs; “push and pull”
Field or Diaper knobs with an overall pattern that does not fit into another description.		Yale & Towne 1894
Spirals and Swirls These knobs are just what they say. The pattern is in the form of a spiral or swirl.		Corbin 1895
Twofold knobs having an identical pattern that is repeated only once.		Penn 1885
Threefold the same pattern is repeated three times.		Sargent 1905
Fourfold Perhaps the most common of formats, the image appears four times on the knob.		Reading 1905
Fivefold less popular format. A pattern repeated five times on the knob		Yale & Towne 1905
Sixfold Again, the pattern is repeated six times. Not as common		A. G. Newman 1876
Eightfold pattern repeated eight times		Probably Norwalk 1895
Radial Symmetry Note the pattern emanates from the center outward to the edge of the knob.		Hopkins & Dickinson 1879
Concentric These patterns form concentric circles from the center to the edge of the knob		Peters Com. Lock Co. 1875
Oval Just as stated, these knobs are oval in shape and may have any type of design on them.		Reading 1910
Emblematic and Fraternal These were customized knobs for buildings including but not restricted to schools, government buildings, hotels, businesses and the like. The photo is a Knights of Columbus knob with inlaid enamel.		Russwin 1902
Wooden Obviously these knobs were made of wood. They were carved, turned or pressed. Some are smooth and others have designs.		Ornamental Wood Co. 1870
Glass A commonly used material for doorknobs, but extremely hard to photograph to see the detail.		Many different shapes; very common in the 1920-30s
Composition knobs of silica diatite, composed of clays and vegetable material; hemicite, containing an original blood ingredient; celluloid, combinations of sawdust and shellac, etc.		This knob is made of shellac and pressed sawdust
Porcelain ceramic, earthen ware, pottery and china knobs. Common early knobs include “jet” and “white”. Are also fully designed as in the picture.		This knob has its own rose to connect it to the door
Paperweight These knobs are made of glass and have colored glass imbedded within. See TDC #100		Note resemblance to a paperweight

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