A Craftsman Imperial

Codger_64

Codger_64

Moderator
Joined
Oct 8, 2004
Messages
62,324
Here is an odd knife I just acquired. It has elements of Schrade Uncle Henrys, Old Timers, and Imperial knives. It is hidden tang, flat ground (like the later 160OT), and has thumb grooves on the spine ahead of the handle. CRAFTSMAN U.S.A. is the tangstamp, and the handle has two rivets, and a blank shield, all nickle silver. The blade shape is almost like a 165OT, but an inch shorter. The fore and butt of the scales are contoured like the 15OT, and the Staglon pattern is very similar to my 165UH Walden edition which also has similar thumb grooves (also found on the Imperial Kit Carson, and many other earlier Schrades). The choil is decidedly NOT the same as either of those two knives, more reminiscent of the Imperial line.



A neat knife, regardless of it's parantage.

Codger
 
Good question. I thought maybe it was made by Camco, but can find none of them that look anyway similar. Handle and construction does seem to match that of the Imperial Hunter, much like the 'Kit Carson' signature model.

I've run across a few Craftsman knife collectors, but not many. There were some very, very fine knives sold with that brand name, by Sears. My favorites would be the 'Currier and Ives' Schrades.

Phil
 
Nice find, looks like a nice pattern for a all around hunting knife, although being something of a rare bird it'll probably be better off staying at home.

Another good example of a knife I had no clue was out there. Man, those guys made alot of different knives over the years, tough to keep up.
 
I have Craftsman SFO's of several Schrade patterns. Sears Roebuck And Company gravitated toward Schrade for many years to fulfill their knife line requirements. J. C. Higgins branded knives were not the first, since early on, knives were stamped Schrade Cut Co, and then etched with Sears logos. Custom stamping was eventually done with the J.C. Higgins name, sometimes Sears, and with Ted Williams when that promotion began (sometimes etched). With the Ted knives, I feel like the Sears 15OT's were produced very early in the 15OT production, maybe even before regular introduction in the Schrade line. Baer may well have used Sears as a test market for some of their designs. That is what I think this knife is, a production proto that never made production beyond the SFO's for Sears Craftsman line of knives. Schrade commonly made changes to production knives for these special factory orders, either at Sears request, or as prototyping experiments. Conjecture, I know, but it fits.

Codger
 
OTguy said:
Nice find, looks like a nice pattern for a all around hunting knife, although being something of a rare bird it'll probably be better off staying at home.

Another good example of a knife I had no clue was out there. Man, those guys made alot of different knives over the years, tough to keep up.
Click to expand...

This knife is in VG to EX condition, but used nonetheless. I have bought a second one that (I hope!) is near mint. This will help me establish a baseline on construction details, and provide one for the collection while allowing me to try one out.

The Imperial line from this era gets little notice. They were, afterall, a Imperial "Ford" to the Schrade "Lincoln", if you understand the analogy. This knife, along with the Kit Carson and the Imperial version of the H-15, seem to have been the upscale Imperials.

All of these are excellent bargains, as Phil and Larry will attest. At some point in the future, collectors and users will realize this and values (prices) are sure to climb. I think the same is true of the knives produced for Sears over the years. Knives with the Sears stamps actually bring less money, while they should bring more because of the upscale details often found as compared to regular production Schrades and Imperials (and lower volume). Quite often, they will be found to have a different grind, added or changed guards, and even stainless blades not offered on the Schrade stamped versions.

Codger
 
For not the first time, I'll also bring up the 'Imperial Frontiers' (USA made models). Excellent value for the dollar.

Been looking for an Imperial Kit Carson, the couple NIB ones on elbay have too high a reserve or way to high a starting price. I am not collecting many fixed blade knives anymore, takes too much space up to properly store/display them. Mike is correct' the Imperials were Ford, the Schrades Lincolns.

Phil
 
SHHHH!!!
Can't we have any secrets? :D
I am looking for an Imperial catalog. Never seen one. I have Schrade, Schrade Walden and Imperial Schrade and 2 Imperial Frontiers but no main line Imperial catalogs or shortlines.
Anyone have a few I can borrow?
TTYL
Larry
 
Larry, you are right; I will keep the Frontiers a secret. But I thought I would bump this to the top in case anyone has a catalog.
I've seen many knife catalogs given to dealers; many are huge things put out by the distributer/wholesaler of every knife they carry. Those are interesting, Some are loose-leaf so the dealer can toss away the old pages (what a shame) and insert new ones. But it seems there must be some Imperial Catalogs out there, as Schrade/Imperial/Ikco did publish many that we know of.

Phil
 
Yes, I saw those. It is a relisting of an auction that went off previously with no bidders. Interesting pieces, likely submitted to Schrade by a Mexico maker, solicited or not, in an attempt to become an outsource vendor. Paired with an interview with Tim Faust, or a higher former Schrade employee, they would make a nice historical display of knives that never were. One can only guess who the maker might have been, or the reasons Imperial Schrade had for not using their products. The fixed blade looks to be a rehash of the cheap Imperial "moose head" plastic handle knife we see often on ebay.

Codger
 
The second copy of the Craftsman fixed blade knife arrived today, and close comparrison with the first shows no appreciable detail differences. The knives, I then surmise, are indeed production items, albeit as SFO's for a Sears contract, and not flukes or prototypes.

Why they were made the way they were, bearing an uncanny resemblence to the Schrade Walden 165UH remains a mystery. Neither came with a box or papers, so dating them is left up to my rather vivid imagination. Perhaps they were ordered between the first and second productions of the 165UH (1971-93), or maybe as a test marketing venture before the first production run in 1969-70.

I am always on the lookout for predecessor patterns for knives, and I do believe this one bears a close enough resemblence to warrant noting it's existance, along with the 147/497, as belonging in the same family tree as my beloved 165OT, cousins if not siblings.

Codger
 

Still no box or paperwork with this one, but it does bear a blade etch "Heavy Skinner".

I was told not long ago (by someone in a position to know) that these knives were never made in the Schrade factory, so that pretty well leaves the Imperial factory in Providence as the logical manufacturer.

Anyone with any additional information on these knives, please e-mail me!

Codger
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top