- Joined
- Aug 4, 2013
- Messages
- 3,989
My story with this knife started some years ago when I found it being sold by a Gun Dealer at a Gun Show. He had previously had a brick and mortar store, but decided to close up shop. So, he would attend some of the bigger Gun Shows and trickle out the inventory he still possessed. I had purchased a new Ruger Mini-14 from him maybe a year before at the same Gun Show location.
Anyhow, he told me that he had purchased the knife directly from Camillus some years before when he was still running his gun shop. Although it was in a Camillus box, it had no sheath, of which he told me that it was purchased that way by him, (it having a blued blade with gold etching did add plausibility that it was sent to him without a sheath, as many such knives are). It was definitely in totally new condition, so him asking $50 for it was a definite "I'll take it!" situation for me.
Soon after I got it home, I went here on Bladeforums and shared my latest score, as a lot of us do, wanting to share our knife buying experiences with like minded people.
Well, a person or two chimed in that the knife was likely a "lunchbox special" or simply a parts and pieces build by someone other than Camillus Cutlery.
That did bum me out, but I still liked the knife, and still believed that there was a possibility that it was indeed an authorized factory build.
Fast forward to a day that I was in a knife shop in Camillus NY, which was owned by Wallace Rockwell, (a well known former employee of the defunct Camillus Cutlery). He and I were having a nice little casual conversation about his store's wares.
I brought up the subject of my knife, which was very similar to one he had displayed in his shop.
I say "similar" because, while his also had the same blued blade with gold etching, his was different in that the blade was unsharpened at it's main edge and top swedge, where as mine was sharpened in both those areas. Also, his had a higher polished leather handle and gold plated pommel and guard.
When discussing these differences about my knife to him, he explained that it was not at all unusual for Camillus Cutlery to take overrun components from a limited series and make them into non cataloged products. These would be sold to dealers/distributors and such through Camillus' sales persons during their conversations with their buyers.
Since that day and my conversation with Wallace Rockwell, I have run into a couple knives online that were identical to my own, so it seems that my knife was in fact a Camillus factory made product.
It wasn't a standard cataloged item, but a Camillus made product nonetheless.
I have seen the original series versions out there, but actually like the way this one looks better. Besides, I imagine that they didn't make all too many like mine using the overrun blades, so it is likely much rarer than the specimens from the original commemorative series
Anyhow, he told me that he had purchased the knife directly from Camillus some years before when he was still running his gun shop. Although it was in a Camillus box, it had no sheath, of which he told me that it was purchased that way by him, (it having a blued blade with gold etching did add plausibility that it was sent to him without a sheath, as many such knives are). It was definitely in totally new condition, so him asking $50 for it was a definite "I'll take it!" situation for me.
Soon after I got it home, I went here on Bladeforums and shared my latest score, as a lot of us do, wanting to share our knife buying experiences with like minded people.
Well, a person or two chimed in that the knife was likely a "lunchbox special" or simply a parts and pieces build by someone other than Camillus Cutlery.
That did bum me out, but I still liked the knife, and still believed that there was a possibility that it was indeed an authorized factory build.
Fast forward to a day that I was in a knife shop in Camillus NY, which was owned by Wallace Rockwell, (a well known former employee of the defunct Camillus Cutlery). He and I were having a nice little casual conversation about his store's wares.
I brought up the subject of my knife, which was very similar to one he had displayed in his shop.
I say "similar" because, while his also had the same blued blade with gold etching, his was different in that the blade was unsharpened at it's main edge and top swedge, where as mine was sharpened in both those areas. Also, his had a higher polished leather handle and gold plated pommel and guard.
When discussing these differences about my knife to him, he explained that it was not at all unusual for Camillus Cutlery to take overrun components from a limited series and make them into non cataloged products. These would be sold to dealers/distributors and such through Camillus' sales persons during their conversations with their buyers.
Since that day and my conversation with Wallace Rockwell, I have run into a couple knives online that were identical to my own, so it seems that my knife was in fact a Camillus factory made product.
It wasn't a standard cataloged item, but a Camillus made product nonetheless.
I have seen the original series versions out there, but actually like the way this one looks better. Besides, I imagine that they didn't make all too many like mine using the overrun blades, so it is likely much rarer than the specimens from the original commemorative series
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