My Manual Folders!

[Madmarco]

Well, you were right about May comin' on strong, John, I received 3 new knives yesterday that I'll post one a day cuz in my opinion each deserves it's own listing as opposed to the groups I've been posting recently!
This first model is a 9 1/8" oal Parker slip-joint featuring a SS Tanto blade, NS bolsters, brass liners and pins, and very nice aging white camel bone covers. Nice weight of about 5 oz.'s and arrived sharp. Fit and finish is excellent for an older knife, along with a 5 pull and half-stop culminating in a loud "clunking" detent. The run-up on the knife doesn't match completely, but I can easily disregard that tiny flaw on an otherwise very cool knife! There are Parker stamps and etches present and it was made in Japan.
I was told there's some history that comes with my new knife! AFTER I'd paid, the seller claimed the knife was carried by the Secret Service agent assigned to Ronald Reagan the day he was shot in 1981, as well as 20 yrs. later in NYC as he stood and watched the Twin Towers collapse in 2001. I'd already paid so the seller had no reason to BS me, but 2 serious incidents with the same agent 20 yrs. apart.... seems a bit suspect to me, unless SS agents don't have an expiry date!
I'm gonna do some investigating, and should I find I've been hood-winked that seller won't be safe anywhere in this world! lol!
Ya know those knives that come along every so often that are just special to you, well, this is one of em"!
The knife on the bottom in the last picture was already mine, but now it's got it's brother with him!

[Madmarco]

This is the 2nd from an order of 3 from Mark at SSk I recently received, and I've been describing it in other threads as "elegant", and I see no reason to change that now!
This knife is, IMHO, the epitome of a gentleman's knife. It's an acceptable 7 3/4" oal Paragon lockback and has a single SS blade that I've also been describing in different threads as spey but I didn't capture the image very well in my picture, solid SS frame along with richly grained Cocobolo cover inserts, tight run-up, and no visible pins. It carries a weight of about 5 oz.'s and came freshly sharpened. Being older and used one would expect the fit n' finish to be flawed somewhat, nope uh-uh not this knife, it's near perfect. The 5 pull feels easy and the soft yet firm detent feels good too with no fear of nipping off finger-tips. Made in Seki, Japan. My new knife was barley listed in Mark's store before I saw it and knew it had to be mine, so BANG, I drew my six-shooter and pulled the trigger! My first impression upon viewing this model was it's similar appearance to my Blackjack "Mamba", with their all SS frames and same Cocobolo covers!

I was getting better pictures yesterday, but it would seem the clouds have rolled-in again today!

[Madmarco]

The 3rd knife I promised to post and it's a dandy! It came in an order of knives from Mark at SSk, and he had to buy it from another AAPK seller who doesn't ship internationally and turn around and sell it to me. Mark is a very accommodating friend, in case ya didn't already know!
Before you is an 8" oal manual Bonsa floating guard non-locking slip-joint, that has a SS dagger blade, and all solid SS components right down to the pins. The swinguards "float" so when the blade is closed they tuck right up beside it and "float" open and stationary when the blade is opened.
It has substantial weight of about 6 oz.'s, and unfortunately the previous owner sharpened it, but it's not too bad.
The blade pull comes-in about 5 and the detent closes with a "thunk". Fit and finish has no flaws. My new knife has Bonsa stamps and markings and was made in Germany.
This is kindda a "grail" knife for me, and one I doubt I'd have been able to acquire without my connection to AAPK!
Thank you Mark, AAPK, and fellow members!

[OSCAR]

The 3rd knife I promised to post and it's a dandy! It came in an order of knives from Mark at SSk, and he had to buy it from another AAPK seller who doesn't ship internationally and turn around and sell it to me. Mark is a very accommodating friend, in case ya didn't already know!
Before you is an 8" oal manual Bonsa floating guard non-locking slip-joint, that has a SS dagger blade, and all solid SS components right down to the pins. The swinguards "float" so when the blade is closed they tuck right up beside it and "float" open and stationary when the blade is opened.
It has substantial weight of about 6 oz.'s, and unfortunately the previous owner sharpened it, but it's not too bad.
The blade pull comes-in about 5 and the detent closes with a "thunk". Fit and finish has no flaws. My new knife has Bonsa stamps and markings and was made in Germany.
This is kindda a "grail" knife for me, and one I doubt I'd have been able to acquire without my connection to AAPK!
Thank you Mark, AAPK, and fellow members!
8)WIN_20230503_12_04_21_Pro.jpgWIN_20230503_12_03_54_Pro.jpg

Absolutely beautiful knife you acquired ! What are the scales made of. They are beautiful but can’t tell from the picture what they are made of. Looks like an acrylic ?

[OSCAR]

This is the 2nd from an order of 3 from Mark at SSk I recently received, and I've been describing it in other threads as "elegant", and I see no reason to change that now!
This knife is, IMHO, the epitome of a gentleman's knife. It's an acceptable 7 3/4" oal Paragon lockback and has a single SS blade that I've also been describing in different threads as spey but I didn't capture the image very well in my picture, solid SS frame along with richly grained Cocobolo cover inserts, tight run-up, and no visible pins. It carries a weight of about 5 oz.'s and came freshly sharpened. Being older and used one would expect the fit n' finish to be flawed somewhat, nope uh-uh not this knife, it's near perfect. The 5 pull feels easy and the soft yet firm detent feels good too with no fear of nipping off finger-tips. Made in Seki, Japan. My new knife was barley listed in Mark's store before I saw it and knew it had to be mine, so BANG, I drew my six-shooter and pulled the trigger! My first impression upon viewing this model was it's similar appearance to my Blackjack "Mamba", with their all SS frames and same Cocobolo covers!
8)WIN_20230503_12_03_11_Pro.jpgWIN_20230503_12_02_52_Pro.jpgI was getting better pictures yesterday, but it would seem the clouds have rolled-in again today!

Another winner. You’re 2 for 2.

[OSCAR]

Well, you were right about May comin' on strong, John, I received 3 new knives yesterday that I'll post one a day cuz in my opinion each deserves it's own listing as opposed to the groups I've been posting recently!
This first model is a 9 1/8" oal Parker slip-joint featuring a SS Tanto blade, NS bolsters, brass liners and pins, and very nice aging white camel bone covers. Nice weight of about 5 oz.'s and arrived sharp. Fit and finish is excellent for an older knife, along with a 5 pull and half-stop culminating in a loud "clunking" detent. The run-up on the knife doesn't match completely, but I can easily disregard that tiny flaw on an otherwise very cool knife! There are Parker stamps and etches present and it was made in Japan.
I was told there's some history that comes with my new knife! AFTER I'd paid, the seller claimed the knife was carried by the Secret Service agent assigned to Ronald Reagan the day he was shot in 1981, as well as 20 yrs. later in NYC as he stood and watched the Twin Towers collapse in 2001. I'd already paid so the seller had no reason to BS me, but 2 serious incidents with the same agent 20 yrs. apart.... seems a bit suspect to me, unless SS agents don't have an expiry date!
I'm gonna do some investigating, and should I find I've been hood-winked that seller won't be safe anywhere in this world! lol!
Ya know those knives that come along every so often that are just special to you, well, this is one of em"!
The knife on the bottom in the last picture was already mine, but now it's got it's brother with him!
8)WIN_20230503_12_01_36_Pro.jpgWIN_20230503_12_01_22_Pro.jpgWIN_20230504_14_49_44_Pro.jpg

Another winner.
3 for 3 ! Who did you order these from??

[Madmarco]

Hey Oscar!
Thanks so much for the compliments, it's always nice when someone seems to like your knives as much as you do!
O.K., the entire knife is made of stainless steel including the covers, and Mark from SSk bought it used from the AAPK store "Pachinko 799" because "P" doesn't ship to Canada, and Mark and I have done close to 50 deals so he ships to me in Canada regularly with no problems.
The Paragon folder was listed in Mark's store and I bought it from him there.
The Parker with the Tanto blade I bought used on ebay again from a seller who won't ship internationally but after requesting he make an exception he agreed and sent it. The Parker on the bottom in the comparison picture came from ebay last year.
In my "Mail Call" OP I said that the 3 knives came in 2 different orders and just happened to arrive at the same time, but 2 came from Mark and 1 from ebay.
Hope that helps and thanks again!

[Madmarco]

This knife is my most blatant example of "Monkey see monkey do" cuz I bought it directly after viewing a copy posted by Rick/Railsplitter about 3 weeks ago!
It's a Chinese made QSP 6 3/4" oal Ohio River Jack slip-joint that sports a Bohler M390 Wharncliffe blade with twin pulls, Titanium bolsters, SS back spring and pins, and black canvas micarta covers. This knife has a nail-breaking pull of about 7 along with a similar half-stop and detent. Top-notch fit and finish.
I'm beginning to believe that the only way to stop me from buying knives is to commit me, so I guess the hunt continues!

[Madmarco]

This is a fairly recent Ebay acquisition that I'm just getting around to posting today!
It's an 8 1/4" oal Schatt & Morgan Series X Harness Jack lockback, featuring a spear-point SS blade with long-pull, steel bolsters and shield, brass liners and pins, and jigged creamy brown stag/bone covers that are turning faded green along the edges, if that helps anyone identify exactly what material the are.
Has an acceptable weight of about 4 oz.'s and arrived freshly sharpened.
Walks and talks at about 4, and the fit and finish is phenomenal for an older knife.
The Series X denote a 2000 build, 1 of 600 made.
The markings are both S & M and Queen Cutlery stamps and etches.
This one is kindda out of character from what I usually buy, but I'm wanting to expand my thinking regarding choices so I thought it was a good place to start!

[OSCAR]

This is a fairly recent Ebay acquisition that I'm just getting around to posting today!
It's an 8 1/4" oal Schatt & Morgan Series X Harness Jack lockback, featuring a spear-point SS blade with long-pull, NS bolsters and shield, brass liners and pins, and jigged creamy brown stag/bone covers that are turning faded green along the edges, if that helps anyone identify exactly what material the are.
Has an acceptable weight of about 4 oz.'s and arrived freshly sharpened.
Walks and talks at about 4, and the fit and finish is phenomenal for an older knife.
The Series X denote a 2000 build, 1 of 600 made.
The markings are both S & M and Queen Cutlery stamps and etches.
This one is kindda out of character from what I usually buy, but I'm wanting to expand my thinking regarding choices so I thought it was a good place to start!
8)WIN_20230328_13_04_50_Pro.jpgWIN_20230328_13_05_27_Pro.jpg

Nice find ! I quit buying anything on FleaBay as it’s not always an accurate description of the knife. But you did great in this case.

[Madmarco]

You know Oscar, when I bought the knife it was due to it's length and single spear-point blade, my usual reasons, and it wasn't until I logged-in and began reading some S & M threads that I found most of the information I posted because I'm not familiar with this brand.
I didn't know it's from Series X, what the different tang stamps meant, etc., but I'm glad I did cuz I'd really like to improve on my knife knowledge, and I couldn't be in a better school than this one!
Thanks for your kind words, man!

[OSCAR]

You know Oscar, when I bought the knife it was due to it's length and single spear-point blade, my usual reasons, and it wasn't until I logged-in and began reading some S & M threads that I found most of the information I posted because I'm not familiar with this brand.
I didn't know it's from Series X, what the different tang stamps meant, etc., but I'm glad I did cuz I'd really like to improve on my knife knowledge, and I couldn't be in a better school than this one!
Thanks for your kind words, man!

Marco, Schatt and Morgan was purchased by Queen way back when. They were made by Queen. A S&M made back when they existed as a knife company would be very rare and extremely expensive.
Here’s a good source for the company history:
https://www.traditionalpocketknives.com ... att-morgan
I have posted some older Queen and S&M knives that I have here in the gallery section.
Some dating back to the 50’s in mint condition.
My favorites have genuine Winterbottom bone covers.

[Madmarco]

Thanks for all the info, Oscar.
TPK is where I just bought my Ohio River Jack that I posted, so I am familiar with the site, besides, they have all kinds of folders I'd love to get my hands on.
A most interesting article about S&M knives! I assume the rare expensive models you speak of are the S&M builds from early 1900-1933, yes? I was reading about those yesterday.

[Madmarco]

I've had this one for a bit but am just getting around to posting it now!
This is a 10 3/4" oal Extrema Ratio BF3 "Dark Talon" linerlock model with a Bohler N690 Wharncliffe blade featuring dual-studs, a single SS liner, an adjustable pivot, a pocket-clip, and black anticorodal anodized aluminum 2-piece body.
It weighs 4.3 oz.'s which is just shy of my liking yet still acceptable, and came factory sharp.
The walk and talk is unique IMHO, with the blade flying out fast and smoothly upon a nudge on the stud, and equally smooth closing once the liner is released. More on this later.
I can't find any flaws in the fit and finish, and believe me I looked. Made in Italy.
Regarding the opening/closing of this knife, I am totally impressed with how well the assisted opening operates with just the slightest nudge on the stud. I discovered that if I position my thumb up against the side of the stud and simply "flick" it very much like flipping a coin, the blade explodes from the channel into the locked position, and this seemed impossible considering the size of the knife. When closing the blade, after the liner is released the blade simply falls back into the channel with no resistance at all, cool as cool can be! If you ever get the chance to open one of this model you'll know what I mean!
If Customs examined this knife they would seize and destroy it immediately, but I was fortunate enough to find it here in Canada so there was no Customs! Chock one up for the good guys!

[Madmarco]

This knife is a MANUAL RPK (Russian Prison Knife) lockback, and it measures 8 3/4" oal and features a SS drop-point blade, SS hardware right down to the liners, minor filework to the spine and blade, and brown Bakelite covers.
Has a pleasant weight of about 4 oz.'s and arrived unsharpened. One aspect of this knife that I don't much care for is the blade pull, which I would say comes in at about 1,000 , so I must use it's tiny 1/8" long nail-nic for opening, which is hard to find it's so small. The closing detent is firm. Although it's used and shows signs of aging the fit and finish remains quite good.
I originally thought this was a scale-release auto, but after consulting the seller who informed me it's a manual I decided to buy it anyway so I'd have one represented in my collection. Would make for a great pocket knife, but one manual RPK is enough for me so I won't be buying more!

[OSCAR]

This knife is a MANUAL RPK (Russian Prison Knife) lockback, and it measures 8 3/4" oal and features a SS drop-point blade, SS hardware right down to the liners, minor filework to the spine and blade, and brown Bakelite covers.
Has a pleasant weight of about 4 oz.'s and arrived unsharpened. One aspect of this knife that I don't much care for is the blade pull, which I would say comes in at about 1,000 , so I must use it's tiny 1/8" long nail-nic for opening, which is hard to find it's so small. The closing detent is firm. Although it's used and shows signs of aging the fit and finish remains quite good.
I originally thought this was a scale-release auto, but after consulting the seller who informed me it's a manual I decided to buy it anyway so I'd have one represented in my collection. Would make for a great pocket knife, but one manual RPK is enough for me so I won't be buying more!
8)WIN_20230529_15_43_40_Pro.jpgWIN_20230529_15_44_14_Pro.jpg

Marco, Very nice design. Hard to believe it was made in prison. Must be issued to the guards.

[Madmarco]

The way I understand it, Oscar, is the prisoners build the knives with the administration's blessings, and then turn around and TRADE them to the guards for canteen, cigarettes, candy, etc., who then either keep them for themselves or make them available to the public.
Some ex-prisoners continue making the knives after being released, and that's where these better finished models come from, just like the model in my pictures. It's not hard to distinguish between a knife that was made inside and one made outside, cuz the models from the outside are more refined and better made due to the builder now having access to better materials and machinery, whereas a knife made inside still shows signs of being built by someone who lacks access to materials and machinery. So far, all my 5 models appear to be made outside, confirmed by their more professional appearance and refined fit and finish.
Even though the outside knives seem to be better made, they still show signs of being built by non-professionals, an example being the ridiculously hard pull on my most recent knife. When I stated it has a pull of about 1,000, as much as I was kidding the builder had no idea how to make the proper walk and talk on a slip-joint knife.
I can live with flaws like this, but in all honesty had I known how difficult it would be to simply open my knife I'd have certainly given it more thought before buying it, but of course the eBay seller wouldn't voluntarily divulged such information. It doesn't bother me enough to return it though!
There's lots of information about this subject that you can find by doing a "Quick Links" "Search" for "Russian Prison Knives".
I bought this one due to it's "Sodbuster" design, a very simple basic design I'm quite fond of!

[OSCAR]

The way I understand it, Oscar, is the prisoners build the knives with the administration's blessings, and then turn around and TRADE them to the guards for canteen, cigarettes, candy, etc., who then either keep them for themselves or make them available to the public.
Some ex-prisoners continue making the knives after being released, and that's where these better finished models come from, just like the model in my pictures. It's not hard to distinguish between a knife that was made inside and one made outside, cuz the models from the outside are more refined and better made due to the builder now having access to better materials and machinery, whereas a knife made inside still shows signs of being built by someone who lacks access to materials and machinery. So far, all my 5 models appear to be made outside, confirmed by their more professional appearance and refined fit and finish.
Even though the outside knives seem to be better made, they still show signs of being built by non-professionals, an example being the ridiculously hard pull on my most recent knife. When I stated it has a pull of about 1,000, as much as I was kidding the builder had no idea how to make the proper walk and talk on a slip-joint knife.
I can live with flaws like this, but in all honesty had I known how difficult it would be to simply open my knife I'd have certainly given it more thought before buying it, but of course the eBay seller wouldn't voluntarily divulged such information. It doesn't bother me enough to return it though!
There's lots of information about this subject that you can find by doing a "Quick Links" "Search" for "Russian Prison Knives".
I bought this one due to it's "Sodbuster" design, a very simple basic design I'm quite fond of!

Thanks Marco. It is not something I am familiar with and your explanation is very thorough and helpful.

[Madmarco]

Glad to help, Oscar, anytime!
If you have an interest in buying any of these RPK's just let me know and I'd be happy to provide you with the contact information.