A couple of slipjoints from estate sale - what can you tell me?

F

FreeMe

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Mar 8, 2013
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I found these two at an estate sale last weekend. The price was ridiculously low - as in "kid stuff". (Sorry about the photo quality)...



The scales look like...ebony? Both have excellent spring and snap. All blades with solid half-stops. No play in the blades at all. Not terribly abused, but need a little cleaning.

The main blade (~1.75") on the 4-blade knife is a bit of a nail-breaker. I think it might ease up a bit with cleaning and lubing.



Check out the tang stamps. Monkey Wards! It doesn't show in the photo, but under the MW logo it says "Chicago". Who actually made this knife?



The two-blade coke-bottle is sweet! Very smooth and tight. 2.5" main is 1/8" thick at the base of the spine.



More tang stamps...





I'm familiar with the Old Hickory brand. Is this somehow related? And who is Kelly? I assume the "1231" is a model number?

What can y'all tell me about these knives?
 
They'd probably have a lot of info on those knives in the Bernard Levine forum.
 
I can't tell you much about these knives, but I'm sure others here will be more helpful and informative.
But, it's fair to say you bought two very nice knives, used but still intact 8aside from blade wear). The coke bottle jack looks very nice :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
No knowledge here, but I would be beyond stoked to find and nab either.
 
The Hickory is pretty collectable & in Bernard Levine's Guide IV it says it probably was built by Naponoch
 
The part of the stamp next to Kelley looks like it might read HDW. H and W are there for sure. If it is HDW it could be an abbreviation for hardware. If that's the case then perhaps Kelley was the name of a hardware firm that sold those knives in their catalog. If it was built by Napanoch as Vince mentioned above then it's a serious score. Napanoch made great knives.

Congrats on both. :thumbup:
 
jujigatame said:
The part of the stamp next to Kelley looks like it might read HDW. H and W are there for sure. If it is HDW it could be an abbreviation for hardware. If that's the case then perhaps Kelley was the name of a hardware firm that sold those knives in their catalog. If it was built by Napanoch as Vince mentioned above then it's a serious score. Napanoch made great knives.

Congrats on both. :thumbup:
Click to expand...


Kelley-How-Thomson Co. Duluth Mn. 1896 -1947 From B.L. Guide IV
 
VCM3 said:
Kelley-How-Thomson Co. Duluth Mn. 1896 -1947 From B.L. Guide IV
Click to expand...

Indeed - closer inspection shows "Thomson Co" on the second line! Absorbed by Coast to Coast Hardware, eh?

Never heard of Napanoch before. Very interesting. I was actually considering this knife as a user. Would that be a sin?
 
More coolness. From what I am reading as I follow the leads given here, the Hickory is at least as old as I am.
 
Nothing wrong with carrying and using them in my view as long as you can live with the possibility that something could happen to them, same as any other knife that gets use, but that's a decision only you can make.
 
Fellas - thanks for all the info. I think I will clean these knives up (but not too much) and use them (gently and occasionally). I'll take some photos with better camera and lighting when I get the chance. Anything I should do special to care for the scales? Paste wax, maybe?
 
Thanks for that additional info, Mike.

So, gentlemen...I gather from all this that this Hickory knife was made some time between 1900 and 1937, 1948, or 1958 - depending on which version of the company produced it? (taking the Napanoch and K-H-T info I'm seeing). Is it possible to narrow that date down further?

eta: Oh wait - If I am reading VCM3's post correctly, the window goes from 1900 to 1947?
 
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I would be over the moon in finding those two knives. What great knives- I LOVE the Coke Bottle and its beautiful Spear point blade - now that's a Swedge!
A very desirable Jack. Wonderful to look at.
 
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