Bogus Beauty, or a Rose by Another Name!!

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Imo, Rose by another name. Why?... Because Parker was obviously a name in knives in oh so many ways. He left his mark (some good, some not so good). That said, having representations in one' collection is kind'a cool (again, imo). Whether one hates his endeavours, loves them, or is indifferent to them, he will remain a notable part of knife history. So, hey, why not now have something that represents that history. And, with the above knife being such a nice specimen, it just adds to the owning of such an item
I only own two knife specimens that are related to the Parker name. One is a recent knife I acquired at a gun show (a Japanese made bowie). It is marked Parker Cut. Co (from his Eagle Brand Cutlery line). It has a very nice overall build, and it's nickel silver/mother of pearl handle is a thing of beauty (for a factory production made knife). I also have a Bulldog branded Congress knife made in Germany. It has a nice build quality and nice looking stag scales. Being made in 2007 (after Mr. Parker passed away), I don't know who in the Parker family had the reins on the brand, but it still obviously has a Parker connection to it. If I had never read a thing about Mr. Parker, and owned these knives, I would have just liked the knives for what they are (as the above quote states, "Buy the knife, not the story"). That said, the story may become a factor hard to separate from a knife, and those stories will likely continue to either add or detract from a Parker related knife.

Here's my Parker Cut. Co. "Defender" bowie knife. The other side of the blade has the made in Japan marking. Parker or not, I liked it very much, and so it came home with me from a recent gun show

 

[kvaughn]

My Parker knives were from the late 80's and early 90's so the Weidmannsheil's may be authentic. I was looking last night and found a really nice Bruckmann that I got from his catalog.
I remember I bought a bunch of these and gifted them out. --KV

 

[navihawk]

Yes, at one time years ago Weidmannsheil was a legitimate brand name. In the early 90s Parker started using the name and apparently acquired what was left of the factory. Most of what he sold at first was made from whatever remained in the shop. There seems to have been some complete knives, some unfinished knives that were finished by Olbertz, and later on the name was used on knives made completely by Olbertz. The best of the lot were the completed knives that Olbertz didn't touch, such as the ones above.
Olbertz made Weidmannsheil knives- the real ones never had damascus blades....

I had no idea he butchered them too. I also had a Henkels 25 cent knife, a tiny little stag one blade that appeared to have been made with pen blades.

 

[Bartleby]

That said, the story may become a factor hard to separate from a knife, and those stories will likely continue to either add or detract from a Parker related knife.

Well said, with Parker knives in many cases, the story is the greatest value of the knife!

The only Parker I now own (although I have been through others back in the day), is an "IXL Wolstenholm" Barlow, still ink marked "Japan". At the time of purchase, in the pre-internet days, it was cheap (like under $10), fairly well made, and there were no local shops carrying genuine Sheffield made knives. It does represent the competition that Sheffield had to deal with in the 70's and 80's, so although I focus on Sheffield made knives now, I still have the old Parker in the collection.

The same knife could be also said to be the progenitor of the huge current production of outsourced good quality workaday traditional knives that are sold under the names of now out of business American company names by organizations such as Taylor and Frost, among others.

Likewise, the knife tells the story of the period just before Great Neck Tools acquired the rights to use the name "Sheffield" on their line of similar products.

Considering the current widespread use of old maker's marks in today's cutlery industry, one does need to acknowledge Mr. Parker's lasting contribution. One does not need to admire it or denigrate it, but he certainly left his imprint on the industry.

 

[Bartleby]

The only Parker I now own (although I have been through others back in the day), is an "IXL Wolstenholm" Barlow, still ink marked "Japan".

I had forgotten that I also still have a Parker lock back made by Parker Edwards, the production of which was the starting point for the Bear & Son lock knives, so I also should recognize that this Parker venture kept alive a part of American knife making. No frills mass production American made user knives at value prices. Not a bad idea really.

 

[Bartleby]

Here's a pic of my Parker Cut. Co. "Defender" bowie knife. The other side of the blade has the made in Japan marking. Parker or not, I liked it very much, and so it came home with me from a recent gun show

I recall seeing a selection of these in a local cutlery shop display counter back in the 80's, along with the Barlow knife I later purchased and several other patterns. As I recollect, they were sold as leftover Wolstenholm produced factory blades, assembled to Parker's specs in Japan, a variation of the warehouse find. Didn't Taylor have a run of similar knives done for him in China under the "Schrade Classic" brand a few years back?

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Seems the stories were many, lol!

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Here is a pic of my Bulldog branded Congress. Again, it being made in 2007, it was made after Mr. Parker had passed away. I imagine that his family still had the brand's ownership at the time (maybe they still do). It's not a Bulldog knife made during the time of Bulldog's brand name start, but... It was made at the same factory in Germany that did produce those first Bulldogs. Also, the ownership of the brand was legally acquired by Mr. Parker, and, imo, that makes it a Bulldog knife (and again, it was made by the same factory in Germany). This knife has forged carbon steel blades, pinned on shield, stag handle scales, no blade rub, and is overall tight as a drum (no blade play whatsoever). So, Parker connection or not, (imo), it's a Bulldog knife. I don't see these as fakes, but just another chapter in the Bulldog Brand knife history. I know some may not agree with this, but that's okay

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Yeah, Taylor/Schrade did have atleast one bowie version made in China that was based on a Parker Bowie that had the half alligator/half horse pommel motif. Not sure if the quality was decent or not, but the price was real low. I would guess they probably did not equal the quality of the Japanese versions, but... just a guess on that one.

 

[Will Power]

I have 2 or 3 Weidmannsheils (gave another one with Coral scales away, very nice little lock back & rather regret giving it away) I'm very pleased with the quality of them, the Stag is good and the build is good. They may not be legit but they're a knife that holds their own with other decent knives and that's all that really concerns me.

I didn't get that nice buy it back guarantee though

 

[Bartleby]

I don't see these as fakes, but just another chapter in the Bulldog Brand knife history. I know some may not agree with this, but that's okay

I think most folks would agree to what you say. They are perhaps looked upon in the same light as your Colt and Remington reproductions, interesting ways to experience the original mass produced item through its intended use, without the risk of damaging something that is rare (through normal consumption) in its original form. People generally cry foul when the attempt is made to pass the more abundant reproduction off as the rarer original production version, as Mr Parker and others who have stepped in to follow his lead have done. As time passes and the artifacts gain antiquity and memories fail, it becomes more likely that people will confuse the value that comes with age with that produced by rarity, and the temptation to make false claims. I like my Uberti made Colt Walker revolver reproduction from the 80's, but it has nothing to do with the originals really, even if it was stamped Colt. It is part of Ubeti's excellent line of reproductions, but none of them were used on the frontier. Perhaps not merely just another chapter of an old story, but an entirely different yet interesting new book.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

While still in a protracted cleanup and reorganization of my Den/Knife Room/DebrisPile, I came across this Beautiful Cattle Knife. The fit and finish are as good as it gets, pull and snap are dead perfect. The pearl is high grade, with a better than average fitting of a shield. The blades have a strange, dull-ish finish that accents the brilliance of the Pearl and Bolsters.
Made in Germany, with etched blade, it was purportedly a "Factory Find" (yeah, right)!!
A famous con man had it made. He could have sold many beautiful knives. He had the resources and the skill, but he wasn't happy unless he was pulling the wool over someone's eyes!! Check out the COA and value guarantee!!
Sheesh!
View attachment 806963 View attachment 806964
I could say I was scammed, but the knife was very cheap!

I gotta say, that really is a nice looking, (and obvious quality), knife! No matter what incorrect story Mr. Parker came up with about this specimen, which I'm sure was just an honest mistake .... I would be proud of having such a specimen within my collection

And, btw, that paperwork with the knife... That's a great bit of history to display with such a knife. I mean, it's a representation of some of JP's tricks. All a part of knife history

 

[Jack Black]

Wow - I cannot believe this- I have just finished going through an old revived Thread in Bernard Levine’s forum about Jim Parker- came back to my home town here in Traditionals and saw this!!!

LOL! I just finished re-reading that old thread too Duncan!

 

[Will Power]

But as Levine says, 'Read the knife' (not the marketing hype, received opinions, what you want to believe, the obnoxiousness of the owner of the company or not) If the knife is well-made, works well, is aesthetically pleasing and others are impressed by it then good. If the knife stands out as a decent quality item of corresponding materials, this is what is important. Just don't attempt to pass it off as something it isn't - the DNA of fakery.

This knife? a Rose yes, but perhaps a Wild Rose..so watch out for those thorns that lurk