All About Pocket Knives

Here's a very well made old knife and a sorely abused knife. What a shame.
A very unusual stamp I think. 3 3/4".

I you have this stamp please show it here.

Thanks for looking.

Nice Joe.

Looks like the guy carried it in his back pocket while sitting down, likely driving; = bent liner. The blade might have been used on a slot screw. Not a careful original owner. But the solid quality of vintage USA knives is still there to be 'experienced' with knife in hand.
kj

Nice knife Joe - despite some of the issues it has appeal ... American Knife Winsted was started by disgruntled Empire cutlers back around 1919 and ended 1955... They made some nice knives but not lots of them to be found..

Here's my one and only American Knife Winsted - a Fish Jack at 3 & 3/8" closed....
Cheers
Lee

Thanks for your comments, guys.

Lee, thanks for putting that fine knife in this thread.
A much better example of the American Winsted cutlery.

I have an American Knife Co. Barlow. I will get a picture later and post.

Here is a slightly earlier stamp(actually a different company as I understand it): American Knife Co. Plymouth(CT), 1849-1875. Also have a couple American Shear & Knife Co. items.

Thank you, David and Ray.

Ray, there is a thread for each of those knives if you want to show your knives there.

Thanks again, guys.

I just got another American knife from Winsted.
This knife is simply stamped "American Winsted" on the main blade only.
A very nice swell center pen with big round bolsters, A crooked shield and just the tip of the secondary above the liners.
Always a PITB. It has great old worn covers and is still strong and snappy. Love that single spring. 3 5/8".
Thanks for looking.

American Knife Co Barlow.

Great looking Barlow, David.
Thanks for showing that knife.

Ray do you mean "American Knife Co." became "American Winsted" ?
Regarding the "American Knife Winsted - a Fish Jack": the bone looks uncarried but the tang marking looks to be largely worn off.
Are you sure it is an original ?
kj

Hey there David & Joe.... Nice traditional lookin' knives.
Weren't there a couple of mfg's in Winsted?
Did some antique shopping there earlier in the year. Nice town.
Know if any of the knife factories are still standing & where?

Nice knives all

American Knife Winsted was not at all related to any other Anerican Knife Co.. the cutlery was started by disgruntled Empire employees in 1919 and a totally separate and distinct company from all other cutleries using American Knife even before this company ever existed...

KJ - great question - so though the tang stamp is worn on the master but apparent and not that apparent on the pen blade at all I have to say I have now seen 3 different knives where there was no stamp on the smaller pen of American Knife Winsted Ct knives -one is just above by Joe (FRJ).. given that I do think my knife is original but perhaps too aggressively cleaned anyway in my opinion -- maybe not a rag buffing wheel but heavy sandpaper etc... it was a buy early in my collecting but the knife is solid and a fishtail jack is not easy to find at all and the price was good at that time - so I bought it thinking I just liked the knife - and in fact it is a really nice knife and do think original but I can be wrong as all this is opinion

Thanks, Lee.
Nice to see you posting.

Thank you, Ken.

LongBlade wrote:....the cutlery was started by disgruntled Empire employees....

I'm beginning to sense a common theme as to why there were so many dang knife companies out there....

Lee, thanks for discussing your Fish Jack. Very rare pattern. I very much like the knife.
kj

Kendal Mfg. Co., Winsted, Connecticut. 1948. 3 1/2" closed.

According to Goins encyclopedia, American Knife Company changed its name to Kendal Manufacturing Company in 1948.
That same year it was changed again to Bukar Manufacturing Company.

Here is another American Knife Co., Winsted, Ct.

That’s a stunner Joe ... the bone is really sweet - dark rich color with nice jigging!! Just an aside one thing I learned about American Knife Co is that they only stamped their master blades... when I got my first American knife I was always suspicious of the pen blade until I saw 4 or 5 others at knife shows - something you never will read to my knowledge and I only learned from seeing multiple patterns made by them...

Very nice Joe, great find

Thank you, Lee.
And these Americans are no exception; No stamp on the pen.
Also, the Kendal has no stamp on it's pen blade.

Thank you, Bill.

Nice one Joe, like Lee stated, great jigging.

Only one I have in the collection is this well worn Barlow.

Very nice, Joe! That is some fine jigging, meaning lots of small jigs? (divots) as opposed to fewer larger jigs. Hopefully, what I mean is clear? Also a clear, little worn, tang stamp.
Nice barlow, John, fairly full blades!