Mystery Knife
Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:52 pm
I picked up this "mystery" knife at a Florida yard sale. The main blade is marked "WATERVILLE Cutlery Co. Conn" which would be a pre-1890 blade. The pen blade is Camillus with the curved mark with a broken underline and dot in the middle (1902-1916) Both blades are tight with very strong snap and half stops.
My guess is the knife is Camillus with a Waterville replacement blade. The tang of the Waterville blade sits too high above the bolster when closed although it does line up with the spring when open.
On the other hand the pen blade sits a bit too low in the body and there is a crudely fashioned "easy open" notch to allow access to the nail nick. So perhaps the knife is Waterville with a Camillus replacement blade.
A third theoretical possibility is BOTH blades are replacements in some unknown knife body.
Perhaps the shield is a clue.
The knife as is, has amost no collector value but I think its mysterious history is fascinating. What do you think the original knife is?
My guess is the knife is Camillus with a Waterville replacement blade. The tang of the Waterville blade sits too high above the bolster when closed although it does line up with the spring when open.
On the other hand the pen blade sits a bit too low in the body and there is a crudely fashioned "easy open" notch to allow access to the nail nick. So perhaps the knife is Waterville with a Camillus replacement blade.
A third theoretical possibility is BOTH blades are replacements in some unknown knife body.
Perhaps the shield is a clue.
The knife as is, has amost no collector value but I think its mysterious history is fascinating. What do you think the original knife is?