All About Pocket Knives

Here are a couple of Hobos with the spoon and blade as opposed to the take apart slot knife.
I got the Holley a couple of weeks ago and just got the Union, Olean, NY. today.
In the pictures with the knives together the Holley is the top knife.
These are unique knives in decent condition.

Thanks for looking.

Wonderful old knives. And as a veteran backpacker I can say from experience the spoon and knife combination is much more practical than knives having a fork, which is pretty much unnecessary. I never carried a fork.

Ken

There is a story behind these. Goes something like this: Circa 1916 a Militery bigwig was giving a talk to a bunch of well to do ladies about helping the troops with supplies. He mentioned the need for take apart cutlery, aka "slot knife". One of these ladies was somehow connected to the owners of one of the knife manufacturing companies. She prevailed upon her 'connection' to make a bunch of knives "with a spoon" (which was not what the Military guy had said). He then got other USA knife manufacturers to also make this knife & spoon jack. This is why you see the same knife with different makers markings. Most were never used. I don't think many made it to the troops.
That's the gist of it. I bet someone here make it a bit more accurate.
kj

I think they are called Red Cross knives. Came in a good will package given out by the Red Cross.

Here's a Camillus and an Ulster.

Thanks for the comments, guys.
Dimitri, those are nice looking knives. Looks like you could eat with them.
Mine are pretty crusty although I have washed them just to get grime off of them.

I agree, Ken. I would much prefer a spoon.

FRJ wrote:Here are a couple of Hobos with the spoon and blade as opposed to the take apart slot knife.
I got the Holley a couple of weeks ago and just got the Union, Olean, NY. today.
In the pictures with the knives together the Holley is the top knife.
These are unique knives in decent condition.

Thanks for looking.

Neat old hobo knives!!

Thank you, woodwalker, I'm glad you like them.

FRJ wrote:Dimitri, those are nice looking knives. Looks like you could eat with them.
Mine are pretty crusty although I have washed them just to get grime off of them.

Thanks Joe

Yeah, I would eat with them, I get my tetanus shot every five years

Dimitri, Joe, very nice knives, thanks for sharing those

Really nice HOBOs Joe and Dimitri ... Not sure why I always thought these predated 1900s for the most part but guess I am thinking about those Union Naugatuck HOBOs carried in the Civil War

Nice ones Joe! I have a Union Cut, and a Camillus that is slated for the sale case. I also have a Naugatuck true slot knife who's time has come (to pass along). I don't really think all the Naugatuck slot knives were civil war era. From the survival rate every soldier would have to have carried one. Kind of like all the "civil war" bowie knives out there, there are so many that every soldier must have carried two or three.

Gunsil (Gene) - I would think that these Union HOBOs were made after the Civil War (maybe before?) as well... but to your point about numbers of knives vs soldiers and survival rates of the knives - given I have been reading about the Civil War for a few years now I can say there were exponentially more soldiers than knives ever made be it a HOBO or Bowie... The Union had 1.5-2 million soldiers and the Confederates had approximately 750,000 over the 4 year period (and approx 650-750,000 soldiers died - mind boggling as that is supposedly more than all American Wars combined in casualties) - I would safely say that Union Knife Naugatuck did not make anywhere close to that number of HOBOs (nor were there that many Bowies either)... just saying and certainly not arguing (PS - I would like to see your Naugatuck HOBO as I am not sure I ever had a chance to handle one )...