Boy's Knives

[Codger_64]

Here is an earlier find from a primary source, an 1899 Simmons Hardware catalog. Their trademark is pressed into the "iron" handle shells. Note the wholesale price is .25 cents each. Without an actual example in hand, we can only speculate as to whether it is domestic made or imported. However in 1899 the Dingley Tariff act of July 24, 1897 was in effect almost doubling the cost of imported cutlery. it was in effect for twelve years, making it the longest-lived tariff in U.S. history. It was also the highest in U.S. history and what prompted the Kastor brothers and others to begin manufacturing domesticly. In that regard the tax was a success.

 

[singin50]

Picked this one up today. Obviously a newer version of the much produced metal wrapped ones, probably from the 1950s/60s era.

 

[Mack]

Thanks for the history lesson gentlemen. I really appreciate it.

 

[Codger_64]

Picked this one up today. Obviously a newer version of the much produced metal wrapped ones, probably from the 1950s/60s era.

Yep, that tang stamp began being used circa 1956 and was used for quire a few years afterward. But whether painted metal shell or wrapped metal shell, it was a continuation of the boys' knife pattern for the low end market. Many a young boy mumbled the peg and stretched with these and their two-bladed cousins on school playgrounds at recess. Back in the day when a teacher would be surprised if a boy didn't have a jackknife in his pocket at school.

 

[singin50]

Oh yeah, I guess at the age of 53, I'm about the last generation to remember when you could actually carry a pocket to school in the 1960s.

 

[Rsmith_77]

Oh yeah, I guess at the age of 53, I'm about the last generation to remember when you could actually carry a pocket to school in the 1960s.

nah, i am 36 and we carried pocket knives through school. it was Columbine in 99 that put an end to that
i remember kids showing up to school at 8:15am in their pickups, in cammies with their rifles in the back of their pickups during hunting season and parking in school parking lots

 

[singin50]

Yeah, I forgot about Columbine. We entered into the very "PC" or politically Correct world after that. I hate it!

 

[Charlie_K]

I don't have any pictures to contribute. I just thought that I'd offer my thanks for starting this thread, with this appreciation for knives that were originally so cheap, intended to be used hard by those who would discard them and get another, and now seem to command higher prices. It's that sort of appreciation that's responsible for my own collection of knives, and how most of them don't see hard use -or any use at all- on the basis that one day in the near future they too might generate high prices by collectors who want good condition specimens to purchase.

 

[singin50]

As I said Michael, this is my one and only boys knife right now, other than the 100 or so shell cell wrapped knives I have on original cards and in cases. This is probably 1950/60s era, note the saber Clip blade and newer stamp. The earlier ones were IKCO stamped and had a Spear point blade.

 

[Codger_64]

Still very nice. On cards? I have cards somewhere. Those colorful stand up counter cards that Imperial and a lot of others used. Some years back someone cleaned out a print shop and found a file drawer full, new unused. Like kept for samples. I have saved photos somewhere too. Let me look. Meanwhile, a jobber catalog page or two..

 

[Codger_64]

 

[singin50]

Holy cow! and how bout these originals?
1939, 1940 and 1948 Display counter cards.

 

[Codger_64]

Oh very nice! And a lot of effort to fill them I bet! The little Topsy EO jack? That's the one I gutted, skinned and butchered the buck with. It was a tossup between it and the little fishtail toothpick the same size. In spite of what a person might think seeing these in pictures, they weren't toys. They had real bladesteel, HT ground and full polished and hand edged. In fact, the EO jack I used still had the factory edge and I didn't touch it up before, during or after. It needs it now but it will still cutchou!

 

[singin50]

Oh yeah, I remember seeing your pics of that. These were definitely made for work in spite of the fact that they were mainly marketed as "change makers" as Imperial advertised them back in the late 40s to early 50s. I have a pretty deep passion, as do you, for these great little knives of a bygone era. I tell ya the walk and talk on these little knives were every bit as good as anything new you would buy back then or today! But then you know this already.

 

[singin50]

Here's the Deputy Sheriff Jack knife/ badge set on the original card from the 1956 Imperial catalog.

 

[Codger_64]

Man! You have been working at these a while haven't you!?!

Do you have the one to go with this envelope?

 

[singin50]

LOL, I sure don't Michael but I've come close to buyin one a couple times lately. I remember watching Davy Crockett with old Fess when I was a boy though.

 

[singin50]

Finally found these today while looking for other knives. These were called "Karved Kameos", not sure why Imperial had this fixation with knives being named with "K" as the starting letter but it worked. The Kameos were started in the mid 1950s and sold through the 1960s. In the 1960s you would find them sold in what was referred to as a "pilfer proof" packaging. Apparently many were being stolen out from under the store clerk's eye. There was also a pearliod version in red steer on white mother of toilet seat. These are all unused condition.

 

[glennbad]

I think this one fits the category...

 

[Codger_64]

I have a couple of those and their precursor which was test-molded in Mexico during a very brief experiment in manufacturing there.

This was a box that came out of the safe during the Imperial Schrade liquidation. I could only afford to buy a few of them when the whole box and rolls were offered. A friend in Australia bought the remainder.

What it was was... Baer had an idea to import injection molding machines from Europe, but due to patents etc. by the developers of the machines (DuPont held the U.S. Patents), direct importing from there was forbidden. So... working with Joseph Foster (who was molding combs), he had the machinery imported to Monterrey, Mexico where he had it altered, used somewhat, then closed the factory and moved the machinery to Providence, having only produced these samples that you see (as far as we know).