Colonial Fish Knives

Colonial Knife was incorporated in 1926 by three brothers; Antonio, Domenic, & Fredrick Paolantonio. It grew to become one of the largest pocket knife manufacturers in the US during the 1960s. The company shut down in 1998, but was back into production under the Colonial Cutlery International Corporation in 2001. Colonial Cutlery International, Inc. brand is the imported line of knives and tools while the U.S.A.- made products fall under the Colonial Knife brand.
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Baykeeper
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Colonial Fish Knives

Post by Baykeeper »

I have a few various Colonials, mostly camp knives, but recently ran into a three-fer at a local thrift store. Found these three all together, but each in a different handle version, and the black one has an interesting sabre grind on the master blade, (possibly stainless?). There was a Queen Trapper with them and I offered the guy $20 out the door for the four knives, and sure enough came home with them. These are as found, I haven't ran them through a spa treatment yet, but I was just tickled to find three of the same model at the same time.
So, here they are, if you have one, (or many), please feel free to post photos here.
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doglegg
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by doglegg »

Triplets. ::tu:: ::tu::
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Sharpnshinyknives
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

Baykeeper wrote:I have a few various Colonials, mostly camp knives, but recently ran into a three-fer at a local thrift store. Found these three all together, but each in a different handle version, and the black one has an interesting sabre grind on the master blade, (possibly stainless?). There was a Queen Trapper with them and I offered the guy $20 out the door for the four knives, and sure enough came home with them. These are as found, I haven't ran them through a spa treatment yet, but I was just tickled to find three of the same model at the same time.
So, here they are, if you have one, (or many), please feel free to post photos here.

I have sold several of those. Condition is all over the place, so many have corroded and hurt the value. It’s unusual to find 3 in such really good condition. These are nice knives. Have you ever used one to descale and filet fish w/ one? I have wondered if the blade was too long or too short for most fish? The reason I ask, is that blade has always struck me as too long for pan fish. Pan fish are the only fish I descale, so I never kept any of the ones I have had.
Nice score.
SSk
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Baykeeper
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by Baykeeper »

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:

I have sold several of those. Condition is all over the place, so many have corroded and hurt the value. It’s unusual to find 3 in such really good condition. These are nice knives. Have you ever used one to descale and filet fish w/ one? I have wondered if the blade was too long or too short for most fish? The reason I ask, is that blade has always struck me as too long for pan fish. Pan fish are the only fish I descale, so I never kept any of the ones I have had.
Nice score.
SSk
As most folks my age I had one or two of these in my tackle box over the years, all I remember doing with them was to clean a few trout, never used the scaler though I used the hook remover on the end of the scaler a few times. I remember they rusted badly, very badly, same as my Schrades did. I got tired of that nonsense and bought a Buck 313 Muskrat in 1972 and never looked back, (still have that knife by the way). I think the blade on the Fish Knife might be a bit too long, and is way too short to be used as a filet knife, so I guess I agree that it seems a bit big for the duty it was supposedly made to do. Finding those three in a relatively intact condition surprised me too, that's why I snagged them.
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by KleenCut61 »

Excellent ! ::tu::
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garddogg56
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

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Big memories with those shell handled knives ::tu::
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whitebuffalo58
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Nice grouping! ::tu::

Before TV sportsmen like Harold Ensley showed them how, most fishermen didn't fillet fish, they 'cleaned' them. Along with cutting bait, line and other generalized tasks, fish knives were designed more for that purpose and much less for filleting. But they do work quite well for what they were designed to do.


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mrwatch
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by mrwatch »

We fillet lake Michigan salmon. First make the cuts and then with a pair of pliers pull the skin down from the head and off. Then fillet the meat. running cannon balls on down riggers on my boat. A 28-32 lb. Coho or Chinook is fun to land.
Vader442
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by Vader442 »

I got this one in a lot of knives on eBay.
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Re: Colonial Fish Knives

Post by Hideaway Knives »

Great fishing knives :D
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