The Knife Thread.....

I picked these up today at auction. They were part of a (10) knife lot which featured 2 other switchblades. There was another lot with a couple good knives in it but i stayed out. That lot went first and it was a slugfest. Then this lot came up and the other bidder on it was the winner of the first knife lot. He bailed way earlier than he should have as this was the better of the two but I think what he'd just spent on the first one help him back. Run scored!

Left to Right


Earliest BSA knife I've ever seen. Sterling Knife Co. NY, blade & auger w/ 1915 patent date and BSA "Be Prepared" shield on celluloid scales. I cannot even find a picture of this type in any of my BSA resources. It's dirty with some blade sharpening and a bit loose but good grief, early BSA and likely near the 100YO point.

Post '58 to early '60s, 8" Italian made fake switchblade, first one I've ever seen in the wild and it is a stunner. An 8" is an odd size and rare. This one has the factory edge, never sharpened (!!!) w/ mirror polish, lock-back, nickel silver "button" inset in gorgeous & bug-bite free horn scales. Made in Italy stamp no maker. If I was only going to have one to represent these, this is the one. This was what i was bidding on and I would have gone much higher.

Pre-'58 Colonial Knife Co. Providence, RI "Shur-Snap" switchblade. It works and has break & chip free swirled green plastic scales. Blade wobbles when locked but these usually do. Blade is dark & scuffed but was never taken to the school metal shop grinder.

Pre-'58 George Schrade Bridgeport, CT "Presto" switchblade. Broken main spring but good lock-up with tortoiseshell scales and some spot damage. Blade wobbles & safety does not engage. It goes into the ultrasonic cleaner to see if that sorts out. Minor school metal shop grinder chatter on blade but only one time and it will sharpen out. I may send this one off for repair, Schrades are getting harder to find with the stiletto style bolsters and fishtail.

So, this was a really good day!

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So I went to the Oregon Knife Collectors Association annual knife show yesterday. It was overwhelming. A vendor told me there was 371 tables set up. I eventually had to focus on the custom maker's tables or I would have been there all day. But there were more vintage Case, Buck, and Remington knives than I could count. No exaggeration, there was at least a thousand case pocket knives at the show.
 
So I went to the Oregon Knife Collectors Association annual knife show yesterday. It was overwhelming. A vendor told me there was 371 tables set up. I eventually had to focus on the custom maker's tables or I would have been there all day. But there were more vintage Case, Buck, and Remington knives than I could count. No exaggeration, there was at least a thousand case pocket knives at the show.

A great day to be a vintage buyer with that many sellers! I went to one of the local shows a few years back and it was a rainy cold day with poor turnout. (Like it never rains in New England!) Sellers were looking to recoup show cost and gas money. I did great though.
 
Good hunting this weekend and more OCD knife buying -

1980s Benchmade Bali-Song & 1960s Japan made "Bullfighter" switchblade. The Bali is in excellent condition, never sharpened, and just after the change from Pacific Cutlery to Benchmade. It might even be in the first year or so.

The bullfighters were typical tourist purchase knives and the array of colors, sizes, and blade styles is staggering. They were available in switchblade and non-switchblade versions. By the early 70s the Rizzuto-Estileto pretty much replaced them. I have a few but this one is in new condition with factory edge and perfect plexiglass scales. That's rare as they usually crack at the pins. Like the Rizz, these are not quality knives and weren't made to last. Further, they were sharpened on grinders, thrown at trees, and fired until they flew apart. Exactly what you would expect from the 15YO boy that snagged one. Finding them in working condition is rare enough, in new condition even more so -

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These were all from one person. A NIB '89 dated Wenger Soldier, Victorinox baker's knife, Opinel #6, and original NIB US-made Leatherman Micra c.2003 -

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US-made Craftsman lock-back, either Imperial or Schrade manufacture. I've never seen this pattern before but it locks up tight and has the factory edge. The inset and pins are brass. The Gurkha Museum glass ashtray is likely from the UK one, time-frame unknown but a very cool piece -

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Lastly, a Clyde 10" skinner. Usually when I find knives like this they are dark brown, blade, handles, & rivets from the long accumulated animal blood oxidation. This one still has some factory polish and the etch is legible. Hard to date as they made that pattern from the 1800s on. I suspect 1950s & up. When I saw it I was hoping is was a Russell-Green River but this one is cool too. This pattern was one of the original hunting knives -

P5BCMFU.jpg
 
Good hunting this weekend and more OCD knife buying -

1980s Benchmade Bali-Song & 1960s Japan made "Bullfighter" switchblade. The Bali is in excellent condition, never sharpened, and just after the change from Pacific Cutlery to Benchmade. It might even be in the first year or so.

The bullfighters were typical tourist purchase knives and the array of colors, sizes, and blade styles is staggering. They were available in switchblade and non-switchblade versions. By the early 70s the Rizzuto-Estileto pretty much replaced them. I have a few but this one is in new condition with factory edge and perfect plexiglass scales. That's rare as they usually crack at the pins. Like the Rizz, these are not quality knives and weren't made to last. Further, they were sharpened on grinders, thrown at trees, and fired until they flew apart. Exactly what you would expect from the 15YO boy that snagged one. Finding them in working condition is rare enough, in new condition even more so -

w3TauH6.jpg


osOzQfo.jpg


These were all from one person. A NIB '89 dated Wenger Soldier, Victorinox baker's knife, Opinel #6, and original NIB US-made Leatherman Micra c.2003 -

yKMIAZb.jpg


US-made Craftsman lock-back, either Imperial or Schrade manufacture. I've never seen this pattern before but it locks up tight and has the factory edge. The inset and pins are brass. The Gurkha Museum glass ashtray is likely from the UK one, time-frame unknown but a very cool piece -

uI4KKmC.jpg


Lastly, a Clyde 10" skinner. Usually when I find knives like this they are dark brown, blade, handles, & rivets from the long accumulated animal blood oxidation. This one still has some factory polish and the etch is legible. Hard to date as they made that pattern from the 1800s on. I suspect 1950s & up. When I saw it I was hoping is was a Russell-Green River but this one is cool too. This pattern was one of the original hunting knives -

P5BCMFU.jpg






Well,that's some very impressive knives to say the least!
 
Unusual vintage folding lock knife as it can be used both long and short ways via locking mechanism.




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A few more from my collection,namely a vintage brass butterfly knife and a Spanish made Nieto handcrafted lock knife (440 c stainless steel blade).




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My antique brass pantographic butterfly knife,purchased this and the above S/H in 86/87 before they became illegal. They never go outta the house nowadays.



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