All About Pocket Knives

hi all this is my dads schrade given to him on his 8th Birthday 1907 He carried it all his life he died in 1976 I allways remember it growing up now a nice rememberence of him Tom ps I am 75 myself now !

A great knife to have. Carry it proudly!!

Such a unique look. I know you think of him every time you look at it. They don't make them with that kind of quality anymore - the men or the knives, either one!

lakeside, that is quiet a treasure you have there. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

The handles are celluloid and i believe the color pattern was called "butter & molasses".
What is the closed length ?
kj

Great history there lakeside .
Thanks for sharing.

measures about 3 1/4 closed Tom

3 1/4" closed: i cannot find this one in the 1926 Schrade Cut Co catalog. 1907 was just 3 years after Schrade Cut. Co. was started so it is a very early knife.
kj

It is generally thought that particular version of the tang stamp did not appear until approximately the close of WWI. Those smaller stockman knives may have been 3 5/16 inches; I would have to peruse the catalog a bit.

Catalog E is the earliest SCC catalog we have and it was issued in 1926. I can only find 4" Stockman knives with the square bolsters in it. There are far more cattle pattern than stockman pattern knives in the 1926 catalog.
1907 would make it a very early SCC knife and the only very early ones i have seen are jack knives.
kj

Amazing, that he could hang on to one knife, that long...especially receiving it at the age of 8! The old adage...if it could talk!!! A truly neat memento to own!!!

I'm not saying it can't be from 1907 but I think it's more likely to be at least 10 years newer than that. Schrade started business in 1904, so 1907 would be a very early knife and the tang stamps on your knife were not known to exist in 1907. Either way nice heirloom knife from your father.

Here is a cut of what your knife could be, from the 1928 catalog. They also made this with a sheepsfoot instead of a spey, but the blades are worn enough that I can't tell which variant yours is.

I am sure my dad told me the truth about being 8 years old and getting the knife . could you be wrong about the tang stamp here is what Goins encyclopedia list as markings thanks Tom

goins markings

goins markings

KnifeSlinger#81 wrote:I'm not saying it can't be from 1907 but I think it's more likely to be at least 10 years newer than that. Schrade started business in 1904, so 1907 would be a very early knife and the tang stamps on your knife were not known to exist in 1907. Either way nice heirloom knife from your father.

Here is a cut of what your knife could be, from the 1928 catalog. They also made this with a sheepsfoot instead of a spey, but the blades are worn enough that I can't tell which variant yours is.

IMG_4570.PNG

I am going to ride shotgun on this post. That is where I am at on this subject. I am really pleased to see this knife; it is special.

The dust just settled on an auction that I found pretty interesting and seemingly adds some new data to Schrade tang-stamp usage dates.

Up for auction was what I think is a 7309GSil as listed in the 1926 catalog. Catalog listing doesn't mention "raised rivet heads" so it may be possible that R7309GSil is closer to the mark.

Regardless, it's a 2-blade senator that commemorates the "Panama-California Exposition". On the reverse is "San Diego, California, 1915-1916". Wikipedia seems to agree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama%E2 ... Exposition

This Exposition lasted for two full years: all of 1915 and 1916. Here's the thing...

Tang-stamp is 3-line, straight "Schrade" over "Cut Co" over "Walden NY". I think this strongly suggests the straight-line (vs arched) stamping was in use prior to 1917 and more likely it was already in use by 1914. My theory is that there would be no point in ordering a bunch of these knives after the event ended and they were more likely made in 1914 or 1915 to sell during this Exposition.

I think it may well be possible that lakeside6a's knife was made earlier than 1917. Who knows? This earliest Schrade history is pretty muddy.

The future of the "Panama-California" knife is crystal clear to me though because I did indeed land it. It will be carefully hand-polished when it arrives. I just got some 10000-grit sandpaper to up my mirror-polishing game a little from the 7000-grit I was maxing-out at before. It's cool to have a 100+ year-old Schrade with a definite date on it even if it's a really basic knife.

bladecollectorr wrote:The dust just settled on an auction that I found pretty interesting and seemingly adds some new data to Schrade tang-stamp usage dates.

Up for auction was what I think is a 7309GSil as listed in the 1926 catalog. Catalog listing doesn't mention "raised rivet heads" so it may be possible that R7309GSil is closer to the mark.

Regardless, it's a 2-blade senator that commemorates the "Panama-California Exposition". On the reverse is "San Diego, California, 1915-1916". Wikipedia seems to agree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama%E2 ... Exposition

This Exposition lasted for two full years: all of 1915 and 1916. Here's the thing...

Tang-stamp is 3-line, straight "Schrade" over "Cut Co" over "Walden NY". I think this strongly suggests the straight-line (vs arched) stamping was in use prior to 1917 and more likely it was already in use by 1914. My theory is that there would be no point in ordering a bunch of these knives after the event ended and they were more likely made in 1914 or 1915 to sell during this Exposition.

I think it may well be possible that lakeside6a's knife was made earlier than 1917. Who knows? This earliest Schrade history is pretty muddy.

The future of the "Panama-California" knife is crystal clear to me though because I did indeed land it. It will be carefully hand-polished when it arrives. I just got some 10000-grit sandpaper to up my mirror-polishing game a little from the 7000-grit I was maxing-out at before. It's cool to have a 100+ year-old Schrade with a definite date on it even if it's a really basic knife.

Very good and intriguing detective work.

Note: the 8344K shown on previous page is not in the 1926 catalog. It is in one of the "supplements" probably 1928. Likely it was not made until 1928.
I cannot find any stock knives of this size with square bolsters in the 1926 catalog.
This is a very common situation with knife collecting. Family history is certain that knife was acquired in a certain year, yet knife catalogs etc. document the knife could not have been made until 10 or even 20 years later.
The reason is because memory is not like a recording. Memory changes over time even though it seems 100% accurate & factual.
I doubt the O.P. knife is any older than 1928.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:Note: the 8344K shown on previous page is not in the 1926 catalog. It is in one of the "supplements" probably 1928. Likely it was not made until 1928.
I cannot find any stock knives of this size with square bolsters in the 1926 catalog.
This is a very common situation with knife collecting. Family history is certain that knife was acquired in a certain year, yet knife catalogs etc. document the knife could not have been made until 10 or even 20 years later.
The reason is because memory is not like a recording. Memory changes over time even though it seems 100% accurate & factual.
I doubt the O.P. knife is any older than 1928.
kj

Roland you are correct that pattern is not in the 1926 catalog and is in the 1928 supplement; However I don't think it's safe to assume the 8344K and it's variants were not made before 1928. There are many patterns that were never catalogued, cut co and walden. I have seen examples of these knives themselves. The catalogs are a great help and source of information but they are not a hard and fast rule as to exactly when and what all schrade made.

When I made my earlier post I was focused on the idea that straight-line stamp might have been used in 1914. I wasn't thinking of the O.P.'s knife as being a 8344K as I hadn't re-read the first page of posts.

Now I've taken a look at catalogs and I agree that is the most likely pattern. This makes me agree with kootenay joe's assessment.

I'd say it's way more likely it was made in 1928 or later and the story got modified as it flowed through time. I can't remember a single thing from when I was 8 years old. I will also agree with knifeslinger about possible exceptions to every rule about Schrade and leave it like that.

Cattle knives came before Stock knives. There are a lot of Cattle knives in the 1926 catalog and fewer stockman knives. All the stockman are 4" aka "Texas pattern". There often were knives produced that were not in a catalog. The smaller size of O.P. knife makes me think earlier production was unlikely given that Cattle knives were more in demand at that time than stockman knives.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:There are a lot of Cattle knives in the 1926 catalog and fewer stockman knives. All the stockman are 4" aka "Texas pattern".
kj

On pages 48 and 49 of Catalog E (not one of the supplements)there are five different patterns of 3.5 inch stockmans with 3 blades each. Also two more with only two blades each. This is not counting the variations also listed.

You are right. I had thought those were 4".
I was looking for a junior stockman with square bolsters like the o.p. knife and do not see any until 1928 supplement.
kj

SOME REAL PEACH SEED KNIVES.JUST SOME SALESMAN KNIVES ALL ARE MINT.