Imperial Advertising Knife
Imperial Advertising Knife
Just picked up an Imperial from a flea market and was wondering what you thought of it. It has plastic mother of peal handles, and has Imperial with a small crown above it. On one side of the plastic handle, it has Aurora Welding Service, Inc. and then a number below that. The guy claims it be at least 50 years old but its really sharp, has a nice, solid click to it. It has two blades, one on either side. It also has AL -12 written on the smaller blade. I tried looking up the company on the side and couldn't find anything. There is another one, very small, that the guy claims to be from the 1930's. What can you tell me about these? Are they good or old at all? Or did I just buy some almost brand new knife?
-
PA Knives
- Silver Tier
- Posts: 1783
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:53 pm
- Location: The "Magic Circle" in NW Pennsylvania
HI!
In this hobby and especially a forum, "a picture tells says at least a thousand words" if you could post a photo that would help considerably. If you have a scanner, you can zero in on the tang stamp too.
In this hobby and especially a forum, "a picture tells says at least a thousand words" if you could post a photo that would help considerably. If you have a scanner, you can zero in on the tang stamp too.
Multiple Contributions to Knife Magazine ,
Author of "Great Eastern Cutlery: An American Tradition, the History of the Northfield & Tidioute Brands" & "Tidioute: A Town With an Edge"
Author of "Great Eastern Cutlery: An American Tradition, the History of the Northfield & Tidioute Brands" & "Tidioute: A Town With an Edge"
-
longbeachbum
- Posts: 381
- Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 8:44 pm
- Location: Long Beach, CA
My guess it is actually old, but not worth much from a collector standpoint. I looked into Imperials myself when I got one that I was told was carried by my grandfather. Like yours it had faux pearl celluloid handles. The little research I did emphatically convinced me that my knife's only value was sentimental.
Before I say anything on the subject, please understand that I have nothing against Imperial brand knives. They have their place in American Cutlery history, and many have great sentimental value to their owners. The drawback is that they are not a favorite among collectors. I think there are two reasons for this. First, Imperial made a ton of knives. The market is flooded with them. Second, the quality was never on par with the competition. When you are dealing with collectibles… quality is key. High quality items always win in the end.
With that said... your decision to buy them should depend on what you expect to get out of your purchase. I wouldn’t recommend buying Imperial knives it in hopes to sell for a higher price later, but I would recommend buying them if you want to own a small piece of cutlery history, and/or because you just plain like it and want it in your collection or you want it to use.
This is all just my humble opinion,
Bryan
With that said... your decision to buy them should depend on what you expect to get out of your purchase. I wouldn’t recommend buying Imperial knives it in hopes to sell for a higher price later, but I would recommend buying them if you want to own a small piece of cutlery history, and/or because you just plain like it and want it in your collection or you want it to use.
This is all just my humble opinion,
Bryan
-
El Lobo
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 3036
- Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:47 pm
- Location: Arizona, right here in the U.S. of A.
225Q,
This is just MY opinion, and it might be worth what you paid for it.
These folks make some good points for all of us to keep in mind. Too often people (not aimed at you) think that because something is old, no matter the quality or number of like items, that it is valuable. Just check out MOST antique stores/malls...
It is pretty risky right now, to buy a factory knife as an investment. Doesn't mean you couldn't "hit the big one," just looooong odds. Established, desireable brands are a BETTER bet......but risky as well, unless you fall upon an unknowing source. For me, I"ve still got to look in the mirror.
I have a STA-SHARP stockman, a little beat up, but full blades, nice milled liners.....made between 1927-1940 for Sears, as their first branded pocket knife. Probably made by Camillus. I'd be fortunate to get $15-$20 for the knife from a knowledgeable collector. Because there is no demand for that brand.
Even though your knife is likely at least 40-50 years old, Imperial may have made as many as 100,000 knives PER DAY, at their zenith of production. So, there are too many to make them VALUABLE, in general.
All that B.S. aside.....find the ones that you can afford, that give you a small rush, or that you just like.......and enjoy the trip.
Bill
This is just MY opinion, and it might be worth what you paid for it.
These folks make some good points for all of us to keep in mind. Too often people (not aimed at you) think that because something is old, no matter the quality or number of like items, that it is valuable. Just check out MOST antique stores/malls...
It is pretty risky right now, to buy a factory knife as an investment. Doesn't mean you couldn't "hit the big one," just looooong odds. Established, desireable brands are a BETTER bet......but risky as well, unless you fall upon an unknowing source. For me, I"ve still got to look in the mirror.
I have a STA-SHARP stockman, a little beat up, but full blades, nice milled liners.....made between 1927-1940 for Sears, as their first branded pocket knife. Probably made by Camillus. I'd be fortunate to get $15-$20 for the knife from a knowledgeable collector. Because there is no demand for that brand.
Even though your knife is likely at least 40-50 years old, Imperial may have made as many as 100,000 knives PER DAY, at their zenith of production. So, there are too many to make them VALUABLE, in general.
All that B.S. aside.....find the ones that you can afford, that give you a small rush, or that you just like.......and enjoy the trip.
Bill
I agree with everything said, I paid a little too much, nothing too bad though, but the next one I'm going to buy from Imperial will be a full restoration/have fun with knife. Its missing the handles and needs a lot of TLC. The guy says $5 but I'm going to try to talk him lower just because they're not that valuable and its in such horrible condition. Thank you guys for your support of me with Imperial, no matter how many they made.
Erik
Erik