Let's See Your Camco Knives!

The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States with roots dating back to 1876. The company manufactured Camillus branded knives and was a prolific contractor for other knife brands up until its last days in 2007 when the company filed for bankruptcy.
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orvet
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by orvet »

I am not sure if it was an ad knife or one made for New Britain that they sold, (or both). ::shrug::

I have also seen them with the Proto name, I have a TL-29 Camco or Camillus (not sure which brand) with the Proto etch. Proto was another tool company.

Black Hawk was another that had Camillus make knives for.
Sometimes you will find a Camco or Camillus knife with the Black Hawk etch.
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by orvet »

I picked up this little Camco rope knife for a rebuild project.
It is 3-1/4" closed. Someone decided to customize the handle. ::facepalm::

I think it can be salvaged.
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Camco rope a.jpg
Camco rope b.jpg
Camco rope c.jpg
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trail
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by trail »

Lots of use left in that little knife, even with the butchered handle and butter knife blade profile...It will be a beauty once Dale gets done with it, that's for certain.
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by smokepole »

Nice find Trail, and a nice collection. I have a very nice rope knife too - but I am too sorry for it to use it! And I agree, once Dale is finished with the mangled one, it will be a knife worth having again - plenty of life left in that one...
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by singin46 »

I believe this to be an older Lone Ranger Jack Cracked Ice pearl. Note the raised bullet on the pile side and absence of studs for the advertising instead.
Camco!
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by garddogg56 »

::tu:: Thats cool Perry
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by singin46 »

Thx garddog!
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by smokepole »

Don't have a great many of them, but working on it. Here's one:

Image

What would that qualify as - a small cigar jack?
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by singin46 »

Here's a 1950s Camillus CAMCO counter card. These were usually loaded with everything from Rocket knives like Dale has to Lone Ranger or Dick Tracy knives from what I've seen. They would be delivered in these cardboard boxes, shown in the second pic. Sure wish I had some more cool CAMCO knives to go on this card.
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by smokepole »

Sure wish I had some more cool CAMCO knives to go on this card.
And I wish I had a cool card like that!! :lol: :lol: If I had, I'd simply collect and trade them until I filled the card - be a nice project, even if it took a while..

Here's another one of mine:

Image
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by singin46 »

Nice Camp knife Smoke! ::tu::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by smokepole »

Thanks Perry! I like the pattern and this is one of the good ones - I don't know if it's true, but it looks to me that some of the Camco's are very very close to as well finished as their Camillus brothers - and this is one of them
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by orvet »

smokepole wrote: I don't know if it's true, but it looks to me that some of the Camco's are very very close to as well finished as their Camillus brothers - and this is one of them

I think it is true, depending on the time frame of the knives in comparison.
I think the Camco TL-29s of the 1950s were even better finished than some of the Camillus branded TL-29s that came out in the last couple years they were in business.

You kind of have compare apples to apples; i.e. Camillus knives against the Camco knives made in the same years. Unlike the Camillus stamps I have noticed very few variations of the Camco tang stamp. While it is unreliable at best to attempt to date a Camillus by tang stamp it is impossible to get a meaningful date to use for comparison with Camco. Dating of Camco tang stamps goes something like this: CAMCO/U.S.A. = 1946-2007. It doesn’t give us a useful tool for comparison.

All that being said; I think if we could compare a Camco stockman, a Camillus stockman and a Sword Brand Camillus all made the same year I think we would see three distinct levels of quality, materials and craftsmanship.
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by smokepole »

Dating of Camco tang stamps goes something like this: CAMCO/U.S.A. = 1946-2007.
:lol: :lol: @Orvet!!

You make a good point though Dale, about comparing apples to apples - and that the older Camco's might be up to par with the later Camillus branded ones.
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by AREMINGTONSEDGE »

This is my Workhorse. Really...a very well made knife! Have another Camco or two but have misplaced them somewhere ::shrug::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by Vit_213 »

ROCKY1122 wrote:This is my Workhorse.
This is new Camco - made in China
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by singin46 »

Nice Trapper ROCKY! ::tu::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by edgy46 »

Saturday find. A well built three inch jack with plastic handles.
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Camco jack 002.jpg
An uncontrolled accumulator. ::shrug::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by singin46 »

Nice old celluloid find Bill! ::tu::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by orvet »

That is a really nice and unusual pattern of celluloid on that Camco! ::tu::
Pretty stuff! ::nod::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by edgy46 »

Thanks Singin and Orvet.
I do not know if it is cell or not. It has no scratches so I think it has seen no pocket time or use. No sign of shrinkage. Too nice to stick a hot pin in. ????
An uncontrolled accumulator. ::shrug::
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by Vit_213 »

My Camco Camp knife #450
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by junebug »

my lil CAMCO i just scored for a couple bucks 8)

kinda looks like a WICKER BASKET design ::shrug:: :mrgreen:
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CAMCO 004.JPG
CAMCO 005.JPG
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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by glennbad »

I have a few Camco's, but this is one of my favorites...


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Re: Let's See Your Camco Knives!

Post by junebug »

classic and cool glenn ::tu:: 8)
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