All About Pocket Knives

I'm trying to more definitively nail down a date and style on this knife:


The blade is about 3 1/8" long, folded the whole knife is about 4" long. I want to say it's a "Hammer Brand" but I don't see a hammer stamping anywhere, it's only decorative on the actual handle. The tang stamping is consistent with 1956-1988 (sorry it's a bit dirty there in the pic) ... so that's a wide gap. The patent numbers are 2284833, 2689400, and 2479855. Anymore help is much appreciated, as always

1956-1988 looks like the tang is fairly pitted or dirty.

For sure it was around in 1975, maybe a year before as well, not sure when they were discontinued though. That particular model is the HB-2 Camper.

Eric

0078 wrote:1956-1988 looks like the tang is fairly pitted or dirty.

Yeah it's pretty dirty ... and I should have said specifically what the stamping says. It says "Imperial" on top, with a barely visible crown symbol above the "i" and then beneath that "PROV RI" with "USA" going vertical down the right side of both.

ea42 wrote:For sure it was around in 1975, maybe a year before as well, not sure when they were discontinued though. That particular model is the HB-2 Camper.

Eric

Okay cool ... I looked up HB2, came across this catalogue: http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/ ... perial.pdf , but I can't tell the difference between HB1 and HB2's ... is it in the patent numbers I suppose ? Also, is it accurate to call this knife Hammer Brand, since it's not stamped with any Hammer Brand anywhere and only has it on the handle ?

Thanks for your help btw ! I appreciate it.

No it's not a hammer brand, there tang stamp stopped in 1955 if it was a hammerbrand it would be stamped on the tang also. I would prefer imperial over hammerbrand even though I can't tell any difference between the two on some of there knives. If you get a hammerbrand with the name walden stamped on the tang then your talking about a whole new ball game.

twdroppoint wrote:

0078 wrote:1956-1988 looks like the tang is fairly pitted or dirty.

Yeah it's pretty dirty ... and I should have said specifically what the stamping says. It says "Imperial" on top, with a barely visible crown symbol above the "i" and then beneath that "PROV RI" with "USA" going vertical down the right side of both.

ea42 wrote:For sure it was around in 1975, maybe a year before as well, not sure when they were discontinued though. That particular model is the HB-2 Camper.

Eric

Okay cool ... I looked up HB2, came across this catalogue: http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/ ... perial.pdf , but I can't tell the difference between HB1 and HB2's ... is it in the patent numbers I suppose ? Also, is it accurate to call this knife Hammer Brand, since it's not stamped with any Hammer Brand anywhere and only has it on the handle ?

Thanks for your help btw ! I appreciate it.

Imperial acquired the Hammer Brand trademark from New York Knife Co. after they went bankrupt in the late 1930's. There's really no resemblance to NYK's knives other than the trademark, so I'd definitely call them Imperials rather than Hammer Brand knives. The catalog in the link is for the older versions of Imperial's Hammer Brand knives, yours is a much newer knife. Note your squared bolsters and "hammer forged" ( 1970's intro) blades. Here's a 1975 flyer with that particular line:

ea42 wrote:

twdroppoint wrote:

0078 wrote:1956-1988 looks like the tang is fairly pitted or dirty.

Yeah it's pretty dirty ... and I should have said specifically what the stamping says. It says "Imperial" on top, with a barely visible crown symbol above the "i" and then beneath that "PROV RI" with "USA" going vertical down the right side of both.

ea42 wrote:For sure it was around in 1975, maybe a year before as well, not sure when they were discontinued though. That particular model is the HB-2 Camper.

Eric

Okay cool ... I looked up HB2, came across this catalogue: http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/ ... perial.pdf , but I can't tell the difference between HB1 and HB2's ... is it in the patent numbers I suppose ? Also, is it accurate to call this knife Hammer Brand, since it's not stamped with any Hammer Brand anywhere and only has it on the handle ?

Thanks for your help btw ! I appreciate it.

Imperial acquired the Hammer Brand trademark from New York Knife Co. after they went bankrupt in the late 1930's. There's really no resemblance to NYK's knives other than the trademark, so I'd definitely call them Imperials rather than Hammer Brand knives. The catalog in the link is for the older versions of Imperial's Hammer Brand knives, yours is a much newer knife. Note your squared bolsters and "hammer forged" ( 1970's intro) blades. Here's a 1975 flyer with that particular line:

Okay cool ... good info. It's not a Hammer Brand, but "hammer forged" lol And I was thinking it may be from the 70's or 80's. And that B-2 Camper def looks like it. Thanks for the info

No problem, glad I could help!


Eric