Need help identifying old stiletto knife

[Johnny Rebel 71]

Hello, I have this old switchblade knife that was left to me from my father with the markings stainless steel Italy on the blade and I can not find another one out there like it. Just need some information about the knife.
Thanks JW



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[Killgar]

That's what's known as a "false button" stiletto, it's not actually a switchblade. The knife was designed to be opened manually using the nail nick in the blade.

Those were produced in Italy for sale in the US after the ban on the importation of switchblades began in 1958. They give the appearance of a switchblade without violating the law.

The handles are bovine horn.

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[Johnny Rebel 71]

Thanks for all the information!

[BestVintageKnives]

Thanks for all the information!

Thank Killgar. He’s our leading expert on vintage switchblades. Always has the right answers to any questions in the hobby!

[Killgar]

Thanks for all the information!

Thank Killgar. He’s our leading expert on vintage switchblades. Always has the right answers to any questions in the hobby!

Thank you for the compliment BestVintageKnives, but Bill DeShivs (another member here) knows more than I will ever know about vintage switchblades. Much of what I know I learned from him, and I'm still learning from him. I am but a student, Bill DeShivs is the professor.

[BestVintageKnives]

Thanks for all the information!

Thank Killgar. He’s our leading expert on vintage switchblades. Always has the right answers to any questions in the hobby!

Thank you for the compliment BestVintageKnives, but Bill DeShivs (another member here) knows more than I will ever know about vintage switchblades. Much of what I know I learned from him, and I'm still learning from him. I am but a student, Bill DeShivs is the professor.

Your collection of vintage pieces must be like a museum. Would love to see it posted here so we can all learn from it

[Killgar]

Your collection of vintage pieces must be like a museum. Would love to see it posted here so we can all learn from it

Sorry to disappoint, but I don't own any vintage switchblades. The closest I come to a vintage Italian stiletto is a manual Kissing Crane made by Angelo Campolin/Falcon Knives for Kissing Crane back in the mid 1980's.

I've never been a collector, but I've always had a strong interest in Italian stilettos that goes back to my childhood. And thanks to the internet and knowledgeable people like Bill DeShivs I've been able to indulge that interest and learn a lot about such knives. I spend some amount of time just about every day researching Italian stilettos and trying to learn something new.


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[BestVintageKnives]

Your collection of vintage pieces must be like a museum. Would love to see it posted here so we can all learn from it

Sorry to disappoint, but I don't own any vintage switchblades. The closest I come to a vintage Italian stiletto is a manual Kissing Crane made by Angelo Campolin/Falcon Knives for Kissing Crane back in the mid 1980's.

I've never been a collector, but I've always had a strong interest in Italian stilettos that goes back to my childhood. And thanks to the internet and knowledgeable people like Bill DeShivs I've been able to indulge that interest and learn a lot about such knives. I spend some amount of time just about every day researching Italian stilettos and trying to learn something new..

Huh. Interesting. Where do you research? I’ve read your posts and you see to know everything! Well done!

Can you help with this a friend found. I might buy it but I’m not sure. It’s marked Virginia

[Killgar]

Huh. Interesting. Where do you research? I’ve read your posts and you see to know everything! Well done!

Can you help with this a friend found. I might buy it but I’m not sure. It’s marked Virginia

The "Virginia" brand is widely believed to have been created in Italy in the early 1960's by two brothers named Edgardo and Carlo Siega Battel, who sold their knives to the European market (post 1958, when the US import ban went into effect). They also had a brand called "Indiana", which looks like "Jndiana" because the "I" they used looks like a "J" .

The Siega Battel brothers did not make knives, they had their knives made by other makers in Maniago.

Although they began in the early 1960's, that does not mean the knife you posted was made in the 1960's. If the bolsters are stainless steel, I believe it was likely made in the 1970's. If it had nickel silver bolsters, I'd say 1960's.

Insect larva have eaten away at the front horn handle.

As far as where I do my research, I do it online (been doing it for over a decade now). But the problem with researching vintage Italian switchblades is that there isn't a lot of documentation. And a lot of the old timers in Italy who made the knives are either dead, or they're not talking. Instead, most of what people believe is just that- belief. A lot of it is taken on faith. The best a person can do is look for someone they consider to be a reliable source.

Some information is easy to verify (like if a US importers name is on a vintage switchblade, you know it was made before 1958 when the import ban went into effect). But I will often avoid speaking in absolutes when it comes to vintage Italian knives for the reasons I've mentioned. Instead I'll preface my comment with "It's my understanding", or "it's widely believed", etc, because I can't say for certain, and I have no proof.

Back on the topic of reliable sources. I regard Mr. DeShivs as one of the most reliable sources. Not only is he a certified repair person for a variety of brands of vintage switchblades, but he also has a lot of reference material, and he's been at it a long time. Of course anyone can make a mistake, or remember something incorrectly, but when it comes to information about vintage switchblades, I consider Mr. DeShivs to be a safe bet.

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[BestVintageKnives]

Huh. Interesting. Where do you research? I’ve read your posts and you see to know everything! Well done!

Can you help with this a friend found. I might buy it but I’m not sure. It’s marked Virginia

The "Virginia" brand is widely believed to have been created in Italy in the early 1960's by two brothers named Edgardo and Carlo Siega Battel, who sold their knives to the European market (post 1958, when the US import ban went into effect). They also had a brand called "Indiana", which looks like "Jndiana" because the "I" they used looks like a "J" .

The Siega Battel brothers did not make knives, they had their knives made by other makers in Maniago.

Although they began in the early 1960's, that does not mean the knife you posted was made in the 1960's. If the bolsters are stainless steel, I believe it was likely made in the 1970's. If it had nickel silver bolsters, I'd say 1960's.

Insect larva have eaten away at the front horn handle.

As far as where I do my research, I do it online (been doing it for over a decade now). But the problem with researching vintage Italian switchblades is that there isn't a lot of documentation. And a lot of the old timers in Italy who made the knives are either dead, or they're not talking. Instead, most of what people believe is just that- belief. A lot of it is taken on faith. The best a person can do is look for someone they consider to be a reliable source.

Some information is easy to verify (like if a US importers name is on a vintage switchblade, you know it was made before 1958 when the import ban went into effect). But I will often avoid speaking in absolutes when it comes to vintage Italian knives for the reasons I've mentioned. Instead I'll preface my comment with "It's my understanding", or "it's widely believed", etc, because I can't say for certain, and I have no proof.

Back on the topic of reliable sources. I regard Mr. DeShivs as one of the most reliable sources. Not only is he a certified repair person for a variety of brands of vintage switchblades, but he also has a lot of reference material, and he's been at it a long time. Of course anyone can make a mistake, or remember something incorrectly, but when it comes to information about vintage switchblades, I consider Mr. DeShivs to be a safe bet.

.

Thank you. I may buy the knife only because you have the history nailed down so much. Thank you. I didn’t see anything about their history online. You’re like an encyclopedia of knowledge. Have a good one!

[Gunsil]

Actually "stiletto" refers to an antique fixed blade dagger often made from all steel from the 17th and 18th centuries. Some are reported to go back to the 16th century. I don't know when the switchblade guys started using that term but it really is a misnomer when applied to switchblades since the term is four hundred years old way before the first switchblade was made. If you disbelieve just google "antique stiletto dagger" and go to "images" and you will see real stilettos. Real 17th century stilettos are very scarce and command high prices. I know a guy who collects them and have seen his collection, makes him nuts that switch guys use that term for folding knives.

[Bill DeShivs]

Italian stilettos are stabbing weapons- just like the Medieval all steel stilettos (most of which were made in Italy.)
A stiletto does not generally have a cutting edge. Original Italian stilettos did not have cutting edges. No misnomer.
"Stiletto" comes from the Latin "stylus." A pointed instrument.