All About Pocket Knives

knife7knut wrote:Kicked out! Try again:
An unmarked 4 blade pen w/file worked liners and back spring.
A Ward congress w/pinched bolsters ca 1860

Lot's of workmanship in that old one Knife7Knut. I like that one a lot!! BH

Amazing, simply amazing! Love the spring file work. Thank you once again for the pics and education. Rocky

k7k,

I love the smokers knife. I don't have one in my collection yet. Charlie Robeson will be glad to hear that I still don't need one, I have been smoke free for almost 2 years now. lol

The Ward is another one that caught my eye... Which Ward is it?

knifegirl888 wrote:k7k,

I love the smokers knife. I don't have one in my collection yet. Charlie Robeson will be glad to hear that I still don't need one, I have been smoke free for almost 2 years now. lol

The Ward is another one that caught my eye... Which Ward is it?

The knife is stamped on all 4 blades(B4*ANY F.Ward & Co.Sheffield).The nail marks on the two small blades are so tiny that my fingernail will not engage them;I need to use a knife blade(edge)to open them.I have an old Remington two blade that had a broken pen blade that I re-ground with a thin rounded off tip to use to open knives and watch cases.

The bolsters, the shield & the pearl on the Ward are outstandind! I know it is sometimes frustrating with your computer. So I just want to send a HUGE THANKS for sharing K7K!

Boy Ray, you really have some unique knives!
That G&J Allen knife is spectacular as are the other knives in that post!
I think that Unwin & Rogers is the only knife I have seen with a mechanical pencil in it!

Where do you find all those gems?

What Dale said RAY!!! Beautiful old knives. When I look at these old skillfully crafted pieces of mechanical art, I wonder how many flat screen T.V.s or cars or just about anything else manufactured today will still be around and functional in 150 years. Slim

Great knives fellas!
Here's one that's fairly hard to come by. Union Knife Co. Naugatuck, CT. 1851-1885. It's been suggested that the pivot pin has been replaced and would have set flush in the ratail grooves.
If memory serves me, the factory burnt down in 1885.
She's well worn but still has decent snap and halfstops. Each handle is a single piece of cast brass.

WB

OK Guys, H.M, Meier's Chip-A-Way 1854-1875 dealt in hardware and cutlery St. Louis Mo.
Chip-A-Way was taken over by E.C. Simmons about 1890. Goins' pg180.
I hope this knife is ok to post as it has been posted in the past some where on AAPK.
Dimitri I hope you are still watching. Neat blade swedges on this knife. Actual age??

Stockman

orvet wrote:Boy Ray, you really have some unique knives!
That G&J Allen knife is spectacular as are the other knives in that post!
I think that Unwin & Rogers is the only knife I have seen with a mechanical pencil in it!

Where do you find all those gems?

Thanks to all who are enjoying this post as much as I am.For many years now I have been searching for knives that I consider unique or unusual.They are not necessarily knives that are expensive or rare but have some unusual attribute or are skillfully constructed.They come from varied sources;mostly antique shops or flea markets and even yard sales.Most of the time they are almost hidden away in displays of jewelry or other items.I have developed a system when scouting out such shops.I usually do a cursory walk around noting which displays I want to look at and only stop if I see something that catches my eye.This allows me to cover a large area in a relatively short space of time. I also make it a policy when re-visiting a shop to go in a different route than before which allows me to see objects from a new perspective and maybe catch something I missed.This works really well if you are in a town that has several shops such as Blissfield or Allen Michigan(the antique capital).Another good thing is to become friendly with the owners and let them know of your tastes in collecting.Most will let you know when something you collect arrives.I even have a couple who phone me if they think I will be interested in it.Another hard and fast rule I have is if I see something that is really underpriced I won't try and haggle the price.A lot of people do and lose out.I will also point out to a dealer if I think the price is too overblown.If they ask I will give them what I consider a fair price but I will usually NOT buy it from them if they do come down.That way they don't feel as though I am trying to take advantage of them(which I don't).
When I lived in Massachusetts I had several friends in law enforcement and they were a great source of knives.A lot of my friends here in Michigan know I collect knives and I've even received knives from them on occasion.
I don't buy on e-Bay anymore due to their payment policies and the fact that it has ceased(for me anyway)to be a good source of knives.I don't actively collect anymore unless I happen to see a knife that is reasonable;unusual;and inexpensive.After having collected for nearly 60 years I have way too many knives anyway.Last count was somewhere north of 2500 and that was awhile ago.
I should probably be thinking of divesting as my children and grandchildren have no interest in them whatsoever.I had someone awhile ago who wanted to purchase the entire collection(which is the way I want it to go)but he had a cash shortfall and I haven't heard from him since.I don't want to sell it piecemeal as it would take forever.
When I was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago I had made plans through several friends to dispose of my various collections(autos;guns;knives;watches;model cars;etc.)through them to assist my wife.All of them are knowledgeable in their fields and I trust them implicitly to get my wife fair prices for them.
Sorry for the long rant but I'm stuck in the house today doing Honey Do's and took a computer break and started typing.Ill try and get more pictures up if I'm able.

Very nice knife7knut, they just keep coming, lot's of interesting ones. Whitebuffalo, interesting handles on the Union. Stockman, really like the Chip-a-Way, very interesting swedge on the clip blade the way it comes half way across the nail nick.
Dan

Great stuff guys and gals, Knife7nut thank you for sharing your experiences in how you have come into your collection, great info and very interesting indeed.
Stockman I love that Chip a way, what a fantastic knife!

Mike

K7N, thank you for sharing your collection, knowledge and a piece of your personal life's story. keep on keeping on! Rocky

WOW K7K, what a collection! The Ward congress is surely a beauty, what great bolsters!
Here is an old UNION KNIFE CO NAUGATUCK slot knife. This pattern was popular with civil war soldiers, and thusly it is stamped on the fork UNION ARMY KNIFE. The scales are different materials, one is an ebony and one looks to be a cocobolo. The blade is 3 5/8" and the whole knife is a quite hefty 4 5/8". Prior to 1874, eating utensils used by soldiers in the U.S. Army were purchased on their own. This particular pattern was popular with Union soldiers which must have been a big boon to the Union Knife Co. In 1875, the first official issued field mess equipment was a knife, fork spoon combination manufactured by Lamson, Goodnow & Co.
There is a curious stamp on the steel liner, B & B. if any one knows more about this stamp please let me know.

Fantastic knife Beechtree, thanks for sharing! I love the long spear blade and that fork is stellar! and a nice hefty spoon as well, looks like it would have been very functional, great piece of history you have there!

Thanks Mike. The spear is fantastic, and you are right, it feels very functional. This knife is very tight and could do a lot of work still. I can understand why it was so popular.

Time to bump this thread back to the top.

This small 1 3/4" quill knife was made by Josiah Barnes of New York City. It predates the Civil War a bit (1850-1852), but close enough, right? I figure you'd probably still see this type of knife made during the Civil War.

Great thread! Some companies I had never heard of.

Levine's 4th edition says this stamp was used 1860s-1890s. I've posted it before but figured it fit here as well since it was made for the US market.





Hard to read but it says "Virginian knife"

Great bunch of oldies here. Always been fascinated with this time in our country's history.

Wow wow wow OE that is BEAUTIFUL.

Edward barnes Lingard & Wragg for size. I love Ciphered blades

petekuhn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 02, 2025 5:00 pm Edward barnes Lingard & Wragg for size. I love Ciphered blades

Wow!!!

Very nice Pete .
Here’s a Barlow that I have .
Late 1700s - mid 1800s

Mike

Love those real early barlows

petekuhn wrote: ↑Wed Jul 02, 2025 5:00 pm Edward barnes Lingard & Wragg for size. I love Ciphered blades

Beautiful old knives