All About Pocket Knives

I have had these two Cattaraugus stick boards in my collection for many years now. I call them stick boards because I have never seen or heard of them before and gave them that name for lack of any reference. They came out of a beautiful, huge, 3 panel Cattaraugus display case along with a good number of old boxes that was in the attic of a mom and pop hardware store in Upstate New York. The store owner never agreed to sell me the display but I was happy to get the boxes and the two stick boards.

I have heard of the old companies using a cork type ball suspended from a cord as a store front display. The knives being stuck in the cork for viewing. I believe these balsa wood boards to be a similar sales aid.

The stickers on the front are a heavy aluminum type foil. The larger of the two is 6 1/8" x 7' x 7/8" thick. This is the first time I ever stuck a knife in one so thought it would be fitting to use a Catt stockman knife.

Wayne

Wayne - I have never seen anything like that (I am sixty). If they are stick boards for displaying knives, it would seem that there should be more stick marks on them. But I do not have any other ideas, either.

Dinadan wrote:Wayne - I have never seen anything like that (I am sixty). If they are stick boards for displaying knives, it would seem that there should be more stick marks on them. But I do not have any other ideas, either.

There a just a few blade marks on the two boards. I think they were given as a sales aid to the hardware store but weren't used much. I'm just shy of 60 myself and although old they are new to me as far as ever seeing the like. Maybe someone has seen another example but I think they are a very uncommon if not a rare item.

Wayne

Wow those are too cool!! I have never seen them before and would have loved to have been in that attic to see that stuff.

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. Paul

Interesting find, Wayne, very nice. Those would make a great display with a batch of Catt knives stuck in them.
Dan

Wayne, I'd have to say those are rare indeed. I'm mid-sixties myself and have spent untold hours, especially 40 to 50 years ago and since, searching hardware and sporting goods stores for knives. I have never before seen anything like those boards. Thanks for showing them here.

Ken

Wayne, very interesting. I have studied knife displays from all of the old manufacturers for many years and I have never seen one.

I do have a photo from the Case archives that shows a similar item sitting on the counter.

This is from a Minneapolis hardware store in 1959.

While the photo is from the Case Rep Lou Graves and most of the visible knives in the photo are Case, I do not whether the counter item with the knives sticking in it is from Case or not.

I have avidly collected photos of older Case displays for many years including lots of info from the Case archives, and I have never seen anything about Case offering a similar item but they may have. Or individual Case reps may have supplied them from other sources.

Steve

Oh my. Nirvana.

Just had a thought regarding this. No manufacturer could have anything like that in today's litigious society, where everyone is a victim, no one has any personal responsibility, businesses are evil, and lawyers are laying awake nights trying to figure out how they can file a lawsuit against some company. Just imagine someone picking up an opened knife from that display and cutting themselves. Why, the attorneys would be lined up for blocks trying to convince the poor "victim" that he should sue the company, the store, everyone in the store, and everyone within a mile of the store when it happened!

Ken

Steve that picture looks like the ultimate Man Cave ! All it needs is a wide screen TV and a small refrigerator. I"ll dream about that scene tonight.

Awesome picture Steve. I think I could sleep quite well there.

Wayne

delete

Ran across this old catalog ad from 1930.
Lets have a ball...

Joe

Joe; great catalog pages!

Those are the first NYK assortments that I have ever seen.

Me too, Steve! I'll have to look for more.

Those cork balls couldn't be a very safe way to display knives!
What could possibly happen trying to stick knives into them?

Joe