Coffin Jack

A

alclark2

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Feb 6, 2014
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I've tried to research the coffin jack. I read that Winchester made a coffin jack in the 80s. The Bose/Case Collaboration is what sparked my interest in them. Does anyone have any good sources for knife history for the coffin jack?

Feel free to post of pics of your coffin jacks! I'd enjoy seeing them. Especially in Ebony... :D:D:D
 
This is all I've found on them, I'd like to learn more too.

"One of the first jack knife patterns, thought to be a Sheffield knife design from the mid-1800s, is the inspiration for this design."

My ebony, the best knife I've ever owned.




 
One pattern I've always admired but never had the chance to own one yet. Really hoping GEC will recreate one of these sometime soon!
 
IMG_1718copy_zpsf6163181.jpg
 
I only have one coffin jack, and it's about to be my only single blade slipjoint. I'll keep this one because I was in university at UT in Knoxville during the 1982 Worlds Fair.

Hen%2520%2526%2520Rooster%2520Bertram%2520Solingen.jpg
 
I also was at the World's Fair in Knoxville attending an Oakridge Summer Fellowship. I have the same knife, but earlier and without the World's Fair etching. I think (?) that either RR, Colt or Marbles makes the pattern also - not sure.
Nice knife by a great maker. The original Bertram, not the recent ones.
Rich

I was incorrect RR, etc. don't make a coffin jack, but Utica and Schatt & Morgan do.
Rich
 
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Rich S said:
I also was at the World's Fair in Knoxville attending an Oakridge Summer Fellowship. I have the same knife, but earlier and without the World's Fair etching. I think (?) that either RR, Colt or Marbles makes the pattern also - not sure.
Nice knife by a great maker. The original Bertram, not the recent ones.
Rich
Click to expand...
I picked up that knife here on BF maybe 18 months ago. Considered myself lucky to find one.

I was also in the RC 844th Combat Engineer Battalion (Heavy) at the time. The unit erected an old Bailey Bridge into the TN River onto more World's Fair venue. Had shirts with "I had An Erection at the 1982 World's Fair" with unit designation made. Never get away with that in today's Army.

We were poor college students. We gained admission into the World's Fair by jumping the fence at the university's nuclear engineering building. Probably couldn't get away with that these days either.
 
1982 was no longer the original Bertram. AGRussell lost the business in 1980 and the new owners of the Hen & Rooster logo called their business "Bertram Cutlery". The originals were never marked with "Cutlery". After AG, the production methods were changed from the old fashioned hands on cutlers building knives to modern knife factory methods.
Some of the very early Bertram Cutlery knives resemble the late Bertram knives as they were using up left over stock.
An easy way to differentiate according to Mr. Russell, is that the original real Bertram knives were never made with a shield.
kj
 
kootenay joe said:
1982 was no longer the original Bertram. AGRussell lost the business in 1980 and the new owners of the Hen & Rooster logo called their business "Bertram Cutlery". The originals were never marked with "Cutlery". After AG, the production methods were changed from the old fashioned hands on cutlers building knives to modern knife factory methods.
Some of the very early Bertram Cutlery knives resemble the late Bertram knives as they were using up left over stock.
An easy way to differentiate according to Mr. Russell, is that the original real Bertram knives were never made with a shield.
kj
Click to expand...
No doubt the knives were made before 1982.
 
The knife pictured above was made after 1980. Some of these knives are actually marked "Bertram" but the parts were stolen from AG and assembled after Bertram closed.
Somewhere in the BRL forum Mr Russell has posted about this and explains how it happened.
kj
 
kootenay joe said:
The knife pictured above was made after 1980. Some of these knives are actually marked "Bertram" but the parts were stolen from AG and assembled after Bertram closed.
Somewhere in the BRL forum Mr Russell has posted about this and explains how it happened.
kj
Click to expand...
Matters not to me. It's a well made knife.
 
Chuck - that ebony Bose is perfection, in my mind. This is a pattern that has received little attention for a long time. It would be great to see a quality version offered again! :thumbup:
 
Smithhammer said:
Chuck - that ebony Bose is perfection, in my mind. This is a pattern that has received little attention for a long time. It would be great to see a quality version offered again! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Epitome of the coffin jack, IMO
 
"Matters not to me. It's a well made knife."
I agree, but part of the enjoyment i get from collecting is seeking out the history behind a knife or knife company. It adds meaning to a knife beyond it being just a nice knife.
kj
 
chuckgp said:
This is all I've found on them, I'd like to learn more too.

"One of the first jack knife patterns, thought to be a Sheffield knife design from the mid-1800s, is the inspiration for this design."

My ebony, the best knife I've ever owned.




Click to expand...

This is truly a work of art. One of the best looking knives I have ever seen!
i
I wish that there were more coffin handled knives around. Its a pattern I like a lot.
 
Does anyone have an idea of the GEC pattern that would be a good platform for for a new production of Coffin Jacks? The #99 Wall Street might work but it is a lock back. The #63 Templar/Mako is also a possible candidate but the fishtail bolster would have to be significantly reworked.
 
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