All About Pocket Knives

Sundog picked up this one recently in a lot of knives. There is no tang stamp, but the blade is etched "Hand Honed-Vernco-HI CV-Stainless-Japan". The box is printed with "Black Angus Collection". There is a etch on the handle "Scotland Redi-Mix" indicating that it was an advertiser from a Redi Mix plant in Scotland, South Dakota. Seems to be a cut above what you usually see given out for advertiser knives and came with the vinyl pocket slip shown. The paper in the box proclaims that this is the worlds sharpest pocket knife!! There is an insert in the box with the name "The Vernon Company, Newton, Iowa", (probably the importer). Seems to be of very high quality.

Very interesting design to say the least. Never seen anything like it. Looks very "futuristic" like something you'd see in a very old episode of "Lost in Space" or something. I kind of like it.

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Mike

OC, I've never seen another one of these before till yours. Mine was my grandpas and was the only thing I got from him when he died. I was 16.

espn77 wrote:OC, I've never seen another one of these before till yours. Mine was my grandpas and was the only thing I got from him when he died. I was 16.

So any kind of "ballpark" estimation of when these may have been made? Does yours have advertising on it? I just thought the design and shape of it was something out of the ordinary. And by the way mine is new and VERY sharp.

Mine only has my grandpas name on it. Looks unused. I'm thinking 80's probably but no evidence to back that up.

Keith, what a great opportunity to show your Grandfathers fine knife.

espn77 wrote:Mine only has my grandpas name on it. Looks unused. I'm thinking 80's probably but no evidence to back that up.

Thanks for your info.
You are probably right about the dating. I have posted a close up of both sides of the warranty card for everyone to see. Interesting how it says that it will stay sharp for years, then take it to a barber or butcher for sharpening.

Vernco has an extensive line of kitchen cutlery as well. Here are a couple of 2 blade versions I bought awhile back and a meat turner.The handle on the meat turner is essentially the same as the knives.

I've been in Tulsa to the big show, while my Vernco file was at home, so am a bit tardy in answering this thread.

Vernco began in 1902, the Black Angus line started in 1969 and was designed by a Vernon Co. employee named Cecil Woofter. The Black Angus line included a couple of fixed blade hunters, a folding fish knife, a folding hunter, and several smaller models. All were marked, "Made in Japan" and, "HI CV". I have owned and used the knives for more than 40 years and still enjoy them. Some of the kitchen knife handles are almost painful to use, but the outdoor knives are all quite comfortable. Dating the knives to a production window much smaller than a couple of decades is problematic as many of the designs were sold for extended periods and the markings remained much the same. Sales were evidently brisk during the early 1970's, as a DC-8 was once chartered to bring in additional inventory for the Christmas season!

There are still lots of the knives floating around, as an ebay search for "vernco knife" just produced 200 results.