Show Your Vintage Knife

[30-30remchester]

A few antique folders

 

[30-30remchester]

Some people, the wife, seems to think I might be a little over enthusiastic about antique knives. She hasn't seen the ones I have hidden under the guest bed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks to @Private Lugnutz for pointing me to this thread

You're welcome.

'cradle of cutlery’

Accurate and descriptive. The number of makers between Cattaraugus and Onandonga counties alone is more than many other states combined.

Schrade-made Snap-On 60th Anniversary (1980)

Much later than I collect, but cool knife.

 

[30-30remchester]

A jumbo aka Kit Carson camp knife. A Blish- Mize Hardware marked folder with Goldstone scales and Buffalo shield. Made in the 1930's by Utica.

 

[gpw_42]

Picked up this Western L66 over the weekend; believe it's 50s-60s era production, based on the ricasso marking. Well-used 4.25" blade, with a tiny bit of the tip either broken or sharpened off.

Pics are before I started trying to clean it up and make it look a bit nicer (smoothing out the hammer marks in the ****, cleaning blade, etc.). Hope that maybe I can get my hands on the sheath for it this coming weekend.

 

[30-30remchester]

Of all my vintage folders, most are very high quality. Many Case, Miller Bros., Utica's, Ulster's, New York Knife Co's etc. Most are pre-WW2. I carry many different ones over the year. The one I find myself carrying more than any other is this 1930-1936 Imperial. Most people turn their nose up when Imperial's are mentioned, but prior to the war they built some real quality knives.

 

[30-30remchester]

Just because I am bored, I will post a few others. Here is an interesting old folder. A stag handled Case ** trapper from 1940-1964. Stag is a very tough durable handle material. This fine old folder was well taken care of and sharpener alot. However it has been carried in a pocket so long and had so much change rubbed against it that the stag is smooth and the handles have "feathered " at the edges.

 

[30-30remchester]

The knife below is a stag handled folding hunter model marked WARDS. I posted this to highlight the differences of the stag handles. This knife is old but un-carried and highlights the ridges and mounds of a stag scaled knife. The Case folder I previously posted above started out looking like this one.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Those are some classics. I learn years ago to carry a large knife to be aware it is in your pocket to avoid losing it. But I still lose one once in a while. Nice knives.

 

[gpw_42]

Just because I am bored, I will post a few others. Here is an interesting old folder.

That's a really nice old knife, well-loved and respectfully used for a long time! Thanks for sharing, and posting the Ward's knife to contrast with those scales worn smooth. That's a strong statement about how much that knife was used.

MikesMeatShop makes a good point about carrying a larger knife to know its there. I learned with small Buck pen knife, when carrying a knife to school was a major no-no. Think I forgot once or twice along the way, but had enough sense to leave it in my pocket and stay out of trouble. In the meantime, I got used to carrying a Leatherman on my belt. Then it was a knife on a pocket clip for a long time, with some periods with a couple of decent sized folders (TL-29 and a scout-style knife) along the way. Definitely will not unknowingly have one of those go missing...Guess a lot of this depends on what clothing one wears most frequently! Hard to (appropriately) carry a Leatherman or a Buck 110 in dress pants, haha!

 

[grannyknot]

This is a little pocket knife I p/u yrs ago, have tried a few times to track down what ship is on the handle but so far no luck.
Made in Germany, ERMA, Solingen
The silhouette of the ship is embossed into the material of the handle, it might have had a colour stencil on it at some point but has worn off completely.

 

[gpw_42]

I've been doing some digging on Western Knives, after last week's purchase. Based on a Blade Forums post, I've put together this timeline, consolidated from several posts by Blade Forum user zzyzzogeton who is apparently their Western expert. My source for the timeline below is this thread, including its first page: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/dating-western-l66.1632444/page-2 That thread also has a well-designed photo with consolidated Western ricasso stamps, BUT it is known to have numerous errors. I'm just learning about Westerns, so if you're interested, go there and take a look. I won't copy/paste here to limit spreading misinformation.

Dec. 15, 1931: Patent application for dual tang. https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html

July 24, 1934: Patent 1,967,479 approved https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html

1935: Patent number first marked on knives

1946-53/54: WESTERN/BOULDER, COLO./PAT’D MADE IN USA

1950: Spacer pattern changed from ?? to 1950s pattern. L52 knife introduced.

1953/54 – 1967: Model number stamped on off-side ricasso

1967-68: Guard stamped model numbers begin, depending on the model. W49 Bowie known in Nov. 67 with guard stamp.

1972: Guard stamping of model # stops.

1973: BOULDER, COLO. Removed from ricasso stamp.

1977: Guard stamping of model # ceased, with the start of date code stamping.

1977: First use of date code (“A”) after model number. 1980 was “D”

 

[Plastikosmd]

Marbles also. I’ve had it since being a kid. (I Definitely abused it and used it primarily for throwing when I was a kid.)
40-45 yrs later, it is my “woods” knife
Primarily for harvesting mushrooms, and using when black powder shooting

 

[gpw_42]

@Plastikosmd that's a sharp-looking knife. Have you restored it, after all your childhood abuse?

I like your BP, horn and such. Keep getting interested in getting a Kibler, but there are always other shiny objects to keep me out of that rabbit hole!


Welcome aboard!

 

[Plastikosmd]

Thx!

I haven’t touched it, the pommel is slightly loose from leather shrinkage and a few too many non-blade tip strikes when throwing as a kid

I just use it as is

 

[SC Fly Guy]

Hit another knife-rich estate sale this week. All are in pretty rough shape. The advertising knife and the Wadsworth are the only ones that may get pocket time. $40 total. From top to bottom:
- Frontier Stockman
- Camillus Stockman
- Camco Advertising
- Queen Barlow
- AW Wadsworth Scout Knife
- Mercator K55

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Elated to have found this Dupont-circle era logo (1933-1940) Remington RH-75 hunting knife with a stag handle at the flea market this morning. It was in the bottom of a tetanus toolbox, but cleaned up very nicely, and except for the blade bearing some corrosive etchings, it's in fine shape. The only other Remington I have is an RH-4, a little older from the U.M.C logo era (1924-1933), founded and posted in this thread back in 2021, linked here.

 

[30-30remchester]

PRIVATE LUGNUTZ, that is a neat old Remington. I am a little concerned though. I have been out of town antelope hunting with my grandsons when you posted this knife. It is not the knife that has me concerned but the workbench it was photographed upon. Looks suspiciously like mine in the photos of my Buffalo shield knife at top of this page. Guess I should have locked the door. Original Remington's are a passion of mine. Will post a few tomorrow.

 

[B Halverson]

The most valuable knife I own, because it is one my father gave me in 1973 after scratching my name and the year into it. It is a Camillus brand electrician's knife. He sold new tools out of the back of his van on construction jobs while working as a union electrician, including these.

 

[30-30remchester]

A couple of real Remington knives from the 1920-1930 era.

Top knife is a bare head jack with uncommon waterfall scales #R2055

Next is a small Boy Scout Remington #RS4233 with stunning dark brown bone stag scales, long pull master blade and cut swedge and pinched bolsters.

Lastly is a Remington bullet 2 blade jumbo trapper with dark bone bone stag scales and nickel bullet shield.

 

[30-30remchester]

Apps forgot one picture.

 

[B Halverson]

A Schatt that came from a garage sale several blocks east of my home;

 

[Ultradog MN]

Is there a thread about non vintage or pocket knives in general here at GJ?
I was given this a week ago for helping out at an estate sale.
Made a quick search around online and basically found Nothing on the brand.
It must be modern - judging by the scanable sku on the box and the website.
The website goes nowhere.
Real pretty knife but probably too big to be a daily carrier - at least for me.
Mods, please move this if there is a better place to put it.
Thanks

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Is there a thread about non vintage or pocket knives in general here at GJ?

There have been several threads on modern pocket knives up on the General board, but not like this one (mix of show and tell, informational, identification, dating assistance, etc), mainly brand-ego related (i.e., I carry XYZ and it's the best...). If you search on pocket knives up there you'll find them. You may get someone who knows that knife. Or search on Paramount knife up there. Good luck.

 

[four.cycle]

^ one of the experts on bladeforums.com will probably know. there's some sharp guys over there. (pun very deliberately intended. )

 

[Beerhippie]

^ one of the experts on bladeforums.com will probably know. there's some sharp guys over there. (pun very deliberately intended. )

Bladeforums.com is a bit too edgy for me.

 

[four.cycle]

^ I find myself there often when digging for information on something... kind of funny, actually... they have some real serious axe guys on there.

 

[slowtwitch73]

^^ MSC and Amazon sell Paramount Tools.

I would be very surprised if that was actually made in the USA. I think they are playing cutesy with their wording and the box is 'made in USA'. Who knows.

 

[cody1325]

Is there a thread about non vintage or pocket knives in general here at GJ?
I was given this a week ago for helping out at an estate sale.
Made a quick search around online and basically found Nothing on the brand.
It must be modern - judging by the scanable sku on the box and the website.
The website goes nowhere.
Real pretty knife but probably too big to be a daily carrier - at least for me.
Mods, please move this if there is a better place to put it.
Thanks

Possibly Utica-made?

 

[AreBeeBee]

Possibly Utica-made?

My money's on a Middle Kingdom COO. Utica may have provided the Trapper design (don't know the history of the pattern and my Blade Forum google-fu is, um, rusty) but knives that are new-in-box giveaways were surely made after US manufacturing skedaddled across the Pacific.

Edit: That's not to say the Paramount Trapper is necessarily a crummy knife. I have several Chinese Rough Rider brand pocket knives and they have all been satisfactory in use. One valid argument is that an inexpensive knife lets you try out a new and different pattern to see if you like it enough to get a good quality version of it at higher price. Ya pays yer money an' takes yer choice.

 

[RTM]

It must be modern - judging by the scanable sku on the box and the website.
The website goes nowhere.

Dropping paramountools.com into the Wayback Machine, give us this Feb 4 2011 web page. Note the blue bar at the bottom. Makes me think it’s a Craftsman branding, not a real maker. ¢¢

And paramounttools.com is shown as under construction anytime it was archived.

 

[Beerhippie]

My money's on a Middle Kingdom COO. Utica may have provided the Trapper design (don't know the history of the pattern and my Blade Forum google-fu is, um, rusty) but knives that are new-in-box giveaways were surely made after US manufacturing skedaddled across the Pacific.

Edit: That's not to say the Paramount Trapper is necessarily a crummy knife. I have several Chinese Rough Rider brand pocket knives and they have all been satisfactory in use. One valid argument is that an inexpensive knife lets you try out a new and different pattern to see if you like it enough to get a good quality version of it at higher price. Ya pays yer money an' takes yer choice.

I've used this strategy to check out "new" knife designs and it's saved me $$ on knives that I realized were not for me. For instance, the "new" ball-bearing "flipper" pivot knives with liner locks. I bought the cheap Chinese versions of the CRKTs to check out, and quickly came to the decision that I didn't like them at all. The flip-action of the free pivot is cool, but, when working, I rely on single-hand deployment and with no way to "push" the blade though the stroke (back flippers), anything that contacts the blade will stop it before it's fully open. The "new" liner locks are far too small and inset in the handles for my aging fingers. But, for what I paid for them, I could just give them away to a friend with less demanding needs. Win-win.

 

[cody1325]

My money's on a Middle Kingdom COO. Utica may have provided the Trapper design (don't know the history of the pattern and my Blade Forum google-fu is, um, rusty) but knives that are new-in-box giveaways were surely made after US manufacturing skedaddled across the Pacific.

Edit: That's not to say the Paramount Trapper is necessarily a crummy knife. I have several Chinese Rough Rider brand pocket knives and they have all been satisfactory in use. One valid argument is that an inexpensive knife lets you try out a new and different pattern to see if you like it enough to get a good quality version of it at higher price. Ya pays yer money an' takes yer choice.

Same here.

I wanted a Loomfixer (or as RR calls theirs--the "Half Hawk"), but was faced with the fact they're a desirable pattern. Got RR's for a little more than ten bucks, and liked it. Also have a couple of pretty heavy-built Whittlers, as well as a Stockman.

I finally found a Case Loomfixer locally for around $15, but it's half used up.

Pretty sure it's a '40-64--red bone.

 

[30-30remchester]

Cody, if your knife has only "CASE **" and no other writing or dots, then it is from 1940 to 1964. Can only imagine what life this fine old folder lead.

 

[AreBeeBee]

I've used this strategy to check out "new" knife designs and it's saved me $$ on knives that I realized were not for me. For instance, the "new" ball-bearing "flipper" pivot knives with liner locks. I bought the cheap Chinese versions of the CRKTs to check out, and quickly came to the decision that I didn't like them at all. The flip-action of the free pivot is cool, but, when working, I rely on single-hand deployment and with no way to "push" the blade though the stroke (back flippers), anything that contacts the blade will stop it before it's fully open. The "new" liner locks are far too small and inset in the handles for my aging fingers. But, for what I paid for them, I could just give them away to a friend with less demanding needs. Win-win.

I've always been a two-handed opener when it comes to folding knives for lots of reasons: no need to one-hand open, somewhat prefer multiblade designs, when using a knife around those who spook easily (although what do these people have in their kitchen?!), etc., etc.

But as always, personal experience and needs tend to drive everything bladey.

 

[Beerhippie]

I've always been a two-handed opener when it comes to folding knives for lots of reasons: no need to one-hand open, somewhat prefer multiblade designs, when using a knife around those who spook easily (although what do these people have in their kitchen?!), etc., etc.

But as always, personal experience and needs tend to drive everything bladey.

Imagine working while standing in a tree--or on a ladder--with another tool in the other hand...





or, maybe, on a ladder in a tree.....

 

[AreBeeBee]

Imagine working while standing in a tree--or on a ladder--with another tool in the other hand...





or, maybe, on a ladder in a tree.....

Luckily, sir, I have never been up a ladder like that. Although I do walk the house roof with a leafblower to drive away the !@#!! leaves. The blower's cordless (for a quick & easy cleanout) or corded (for that extra special hurricane blast).

One hand for the ship and one hand for....

 

[Beerhippie]

Luckily, sir, I have never been up a ladder like that. Although I do walk the house roof with a leafblower to drive away the !@#!! leaves. The blower's cordless (for a quick & easy cleanout) or corded (for that extra special hurricane blast).

One hand for the ship and one hand for....

Yep. But mostly, on board, we carried fixed-blades.

As for the ladder, shoot, that's only a twelve-footer. When I was younger, it was twenties. I'll be back in those trees soon.

 

[Beerhippie]

Why it was, I don't recall (being as it was over fifty years ago), but opening a knife one-handed before there were knives made to be opened with one hand was as necessary a skill as lighting a strike-anywhere match with a thumbnail--without burning oneself.

My first lock-back was a Buck 110. If you could open that beast one-handed, you could open anything. I recall the first time I saw a Spyderco in a sporting goods store, early eighties. An old buddy was with me when I asked the kid behind the counter what that stupid-looking loop on the back of the blade was for. When he informed us rubes that it was for opening with one hand, both of us pulled out our large EDCs--neither of which had any special accommodations for one-hand use--and whipped them open. The kid jumped about halfway into the fishing goods section.

The trick with those old-school knives was to start with a pinch grip of the blade back, between thumb and forefinger, then continue through with just thumb pressure and a slight flip of the wrist. A strong grip was a plus.

Now I prefer a knife with the simple stud on the side of the blade. For some reason, I detest assisted-openers and automatics.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

And CASE had one. I never carried it, but thought it is different.