All About Pocket Knives

This ones got me baffled - the main blade is stamped Olean NY, and the spey is stamped Jacksonville Ala (home of Bear and Son) I can't find any reference for Ka-Bars showing an Ala stamping. Is this some joint venture with Bear and Son to make a nice reproduction,...... or a Frankenknife ??

I also don't recall seeing the KA-BAR Oleans, NY tang stamp and the Ka-bar (with the funky little "b") badge in the same era.

Seller keeps refering to it as an "old knife in mint condition"..........

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

I'm thinking those pitted backsprings and nicked- gouged liners would prevent this knife from being graded mint.

That is strange.

At first glance it appears to be a fairly typical 1940's to 1950's era KABAR trapper with jigged black composition handles. Not a super rare knife but hard to find in mint condition.

If you have my book, look on page 186 - I show the same knife but with bone handles and another one with a newer stamp with yellow handles. Note however that the pull on the spey blade on each of these is on the front not the back.

Its possible that someone took an older authentic KABAR trapper and replaced the spay blade with a modern Bear spay blade, and buffed the knife to look minty. Does anyone know if Bear marks their trapper spay blades that way?

If I remember correctly,KA-BAR had for a time moved their facilities somewhere down south(whether it was Alabama or not I can't recall)but had some labor problems and moved back to New York.This took place in the 1970's I think.It was told in one of the Knives annuals awhile back.

I have a few Bears but none stamped like that. The spey blade on my yellow trapper says CS over USA on front, blank on back. Maybe it is from the early days of Bear or from the Parker era. The stamp is off center, think someone got a box of factory reject blades and is using them for repairs?

knife7knut wrote:If I remember correctly,KA-BAR had for a time moved their facilities somewhere down south(whether it was Alabama or not I can't recall)but had some labor problems and moved back to New York.This took place in the 1970's I think.It was told in one of the Knives annuals awhile back.

Actually Dawsonville GA for a short time in the 50's...but there never was a Dawsonville GA tang stamp - the tang stamps did not change.

knifeaholic wrote:.

Actually Dawsonville GA for a short time in the 50's...but there never was a Dawsonville GA tang stamp - the tang stamps did not change.[/quote]

Thanks for the clarification Steve;I would have looked it up but my library is currently unavailable due to my son living in our downstairs and having his bed directly in front of my book cases.

I don't have anything to add...I just want to follow the post.

I don't know how to follow one without submitting one.

My vote so far is that that second blade is not right.

Also, the nail nicks are different, if that means anything. Ka-bar straight on top & spey slightly raised on top.
Joe

Well, I asked the seller what he knew about the spey stamping, and his response was....

"Hello, No I'm sorry,but I don't really know myself.I was going to research this,but we are in the process of moving and I haven't got to it.I really am very sorry that I couldn't help."

I don't think the seller is being deceptive, he probably was told it was original when he received it. Too bad, cause someones going to buy it.....

FRJ wrote:Also, the nail nicks are different, if that means anything. Ka-bar straight on top & spey slightly raised on top.

Joe

Nice catch

This is exactly why I post these things, I learn more from you guys picking these little things out, than I can ever get from a book. (I have bought three books though)

It's too bad that what happened with this knife is probably lost to history. I think it's a pretty knife and if one of our AAPK craftsmen was offering it and could say "yes, the spey blade was broken and I replaced it with this one I took from an old Parker Edwards," that would be a knife I would buy. I would know the history and know that someone I respected had taken the trouble to extend the life of a nice old knife. But without that history, it's not worth buying to me.