August 28, 2025
Fisher v Bell 10 Nov 1960 [1961] 1 QB 394, DC
A shopkeeper displayed a flick-knife with a price tag in his window. Prosecuted for 'offering for sale' an offensive weapon, the court held this was not an offer. Applying contract law, the display was merely an 'invitation to treat'. Facts The respondent, a shopkeeper in Bristol, displayed a ‘flick knife’ in his shop window. A ticket was placed behind the knife which read “Ejector knife — 4s.” The appellant, a chief inspector of police, brought an information against the shopkeeper alleging he had committed an offence under section 1(1) of the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959. This section made
