All About Pocket Knives

sorry, can't get a pic up right now, out of town.
got a 2 blade jack, ebony handles, full pull and swedge.
tang is difficult to read, looks like moore handley hdwe??
there is a pattern # A1159 on back of master spear. hope
to have pic up soon, thanks for any info

Jody,
Here's what I could find in "Blades Guide to Knives and Their Values";

Pocketknife Brand- Moore Handley Hardware Co.

Trademark (or reference) - America's Best, Champion marked knives c1883-1962 Made by New York Knife, Boker, Schrade, Camillus

Location- Birmingham, AL.

Made in- USA

Type of firm- Hdw. Whol.

Dates- 1883-1980s

Don't know how much help that is to you but it's all I could come up with.

Phil

Moore-Handley Hardware was a jobber firm located in Birmingham, Alabama. 1882 to present, although they are now principally a building supply company called HomeCrafters.

They had some really nice pocketknives made for them over the years by some very good companies like MB, NYK and Camillus. They haven't sold a pocketknife since 1965 or so.

They marked their knives with their name and often etched the blades, "America's Best". They also marketed knives using the brand name, "Champion".

Moore-Handley knives are very much collected by hardware collectors, especially in the SE and in Alabama, and particularly in Birmingham. I bought three mint etched, "America's Best" jacks, none of which had bone handles, and they were all different patterns with different celluloid handles, for four hundred dollars two or three years ago, and sold them two days later for six to a guy that turned around and sold them for eight within a week to a guy I know and should have called first!!!.

I have one Moore-Handley knife, a little metal handled, self advertiser with the "America's Best" blade etch. It was most probably made by Camillus, as the man I bought it from ($25.00) had an identical knife, but with Camillus marked blades instead of Moore-Handley. Stupidly, I just bought the M-H marked knife. I also have two razor hones, one mint in a mint, gold embossed red box.

There were two very nice historical articles published in the National Knife Collector magazine back in the 1980's. If you saved those mags, you've got all the historical information you'll ever need. The articles were written by James Blackburn, a knife collector/historian of some note.

Even more rare would be a knife from one of the other two Birmingham jobbers, Wimberly-Thomas or Long-Lewis. They did sell them. I've seen one Wimberly. I've never seen a Long-Lewis. I have a very nice, fancy handled Wimberly razor in a red and silver box. The razor was a gift from a now deceased friend, I found the box in an antique shop for ten dollars with another brand of razor inside.

Charlie Noyes

here are pics

Very interesting!
The long pull spear blade and the grooved bolster looks typical of the Camillus Barlows of 1950s-1970s vintage.

Does anyone know who made this knife for Moore Handley?

I just sent Tom Williams an email. We will see if he can find the S-card on this knife (assuming that Camillus made it).

Nice find!

Dale

so is it camillus??? thanks for all the help!

Here's a couple of Moore and Handley that I recently picked up.

big steve wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 12:43 am Here's a couple of Moore and Handley that I recently picked up. 1000004666.jpg

Those are some sweet knives!!

Reverand wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 2:33 am

big steve wrote: ↑Thu May 22, 2025 12:43 am Here's a couple of Moore and Handley that I recently picked up. 1000004666.jpg

Those are some sweet knives!!

Agree!

Very nice, those two.

I bought this at the Lexington show last August.

Anyone have an idea who made it?