Gent's Knife Thread

bladecollectorr · May 4, 2019

Thanks for posting your Gents, delmas. I think your 2-1/4" MOP lobster is the 7606Sha. You mentioned it had the milled nickel-silver liners and it has a matching nickel-silver shackle. Sounds like it fits the description I posted previously. My knife with no liners and a brass shackle is something else.

If the celluloid knife you posted is 3-1/8" long and that is "Tortoise Shell" celluloid it may be a 7434S if it has steel liners, is "black inside" and has "glaze-finished" blades. If it's "brass lined", cleaned (polished) inside and has "large blade crocus polished on one side" then maybe a S7434S. That might also be "Onyx" celluloid which has a different "O" suffix. All of these are found in the 1926 Catalog. That's my best guess with info provided.

delmas2nd · May 4, 2019

thank you i shall look at the early catalogues

bladecollectorr · May 5, 2019

Here's a 81016Sha Sleeveboard Lobster. They were likely made for less than a decade as they 1st appeared in the 1938 supplement:

It doesn't show in 1940 catalog though so maybe only a year or two of production. At 2-1/2" the 81016Sha is smaller than the more numerous 3" sleeveboard lobster variations.

The catalog illustration doesn't show the easy-open notch for getting at the nail file which is a nice feature on this small knife. The liners in the file well have been cut short to accommodate the full width of the file. There is faint milling on these liners deep inside the file well.

There was some gunk in the blade wells so I gave it a gentle clean and it looks much nicer inside. There's some blade loss, pocket-wear and pepper spots but I think its still a nice example of an uncommon knife. As always with scanners most of the grey areas are really mirror polished but the trade off for inaccurate color is ultra-fine detail.

Lastly a large bonus pic of all the gents knives within reach and some other shiny things. I carry and use the non-etched 877 scissor lobster pictured here on its pile side. The MOP sleeveboard lobster in the top-left position is a New York Knife Co. not a Schrade.

black mamba · May 6, 2019

Delmas, I have the Cut Co predecessor of your 876, an 8776 lobster.

bladecollectorr · May 6, 2019

black mamba said:
Delmas, I have the Cut Co predecessor of your 876, an 8776 lobster.

Nice knife! I'm on the hunt for one of them, no doubt. Seeing it sent me down quite the rabbit-hole!

I hadn't noticed until I did the group pic with my two 877 lobsters that my two knives have some differences regarding the scissors and their easy-open slot location.

Seeing your 8776 made me want to check if you had a third scissors/slot variation. Your scissors have no corresponding easy-open slot at all. This lead me to diligently research the pattern through-out the available literature and create a bunch of comparison pics.

The 8776 begins the history of the 876RB as well as posted in the thread focused on the stainless handled 876RB version vs the 876 marine-pearl version: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/876-shadow-lobster-the-banker-pattern-research.1639865/

All my new 8776, 877, and 876 catalog research (where I focused on MOP vs marine-pearl) and 877 comparison pics are posted here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...rade-walden-877-876-pattern-research.1660367/

TonySal · May 6, 2019

May I ask the difference in the 2 pearls here, or should I Google...

bladecollectorr · May 6, 2019

TonySal said:
May I ask the difference in the 2 pearls here, or should I Google...

Sorry, I should have clarified. "Marine-Pearl" is what Schrade called their fake plastic Mother-of-Pearl vs genuine Mother-of-Pearl (sometimes called MOP or nacre).

TonySal · May 6, 2019

Ha! like "mother of toilet seat' imitation stuff I've heard mentioned!
Beautiful collection, thanks for answering...

bladecollectorr · May 10, 2019

Online I found pics of a 4-blade variation built on the 2-1/4" lobster frame. Here are a couple comparison pics of my Weck & Son knife beside the Cut Co I do not own. The manicure file and secondary pen blade seem to be a perfect match. More convinced than ever Weck knife is Schrade made. We've seen this size/handle pattern now with 2, 3 and four blades, with and without the shackle, with and without liners. So much variety back then.

bladecollectorr · Sep 5, 2019

Some of these I've posted before and some I haven't. I polished them all up for a picture before squirreling them away in the bank-vault to make room for a fresh display of Schrade goodness.

A smaller legend pic of all the Schrade I have that are "Old Shiny Silver Things":

1. Schrade Cut. Co. senator - not in catalog, nickel-silver handle, pebbled finish
2. Schrade Walden lobster - 876RB, nickel-silver handle, "Razor Blade Stainless" etch in plastic pouch
3. Schrade Walden lobster - 876RB, nickel-silver handle, "Razor Blade Stainless - Pat. Pending" etch
4. Schrade Cut. Co. senator - 7309GSil, nickel-silver handle, "Panama - California Exposition" knife
5. Schrade Cut. Co. senator - 7709SS Shac, engine-turned sterling silver handle, "Coca-Cola" engraved
6. Schrade Cut. Co. senator - SSM7709SS Shac, engine-turned sterling silver handle
7. Schrade Cut. Co. senator - M7099GSil Shac, nickel-silver handle
8. Schrade Walden lobster - 849 w/ nickel-silver handle
9. Schrade Cut. Co. lobster - C7609SS Shac w/ corrugated sterling silver handle in leather purse
10. Schrade Walden senator - 709Sha, engine-turned nickel silver handles, "The Zephyr"
11. Schrade Walden senator - 946Sha, engine-turned nickel silver handles in leather purse

BIG version:

TonySal · Sep 5, 2019

bladecollectorr said:
Online I found pics of a 4-blade variation built on the 2-1/4" lobster frame. Here are a couple comparison pics of my Weck & Son knife beside the Cut Co I do not own. The manicure file and secondary pen blade seem to be a perfect match. More convinced than ever Weck knife is Schrade made. We've seen this size/handle pattern now with 2, 3 and four blades, with and without the shackle, with and without liners. So much variety back then.

Guess I should have asked what 'lobster frame' means, where it originated?

bladecollectorr · Sep 5, 2019

TonySal said:
Guess I should have asked what 'lobster frame' means, where it originated?

Lobster knives have blades folding out the top and the bottom of the handle so they kinda look like lobsters if they are opened a certain way. There are two fully internal springs to achieve this. Other (normal) patterns have blades coming out the top and the spring(s) is/are visible on the bottom.

Two "lobsters" about to attack a key-chain:

https://knifemagazine.com/glossary/lobster/

TonySal · Sep 6, 2019

Thanks! Lol I guess like we say a computer "mouse"

black mamba · Sep 16, 2019

I just picked up a mint in box "The Zephyr" from the early Schrade Walden era.

TonySal · Sep 16, 2019

NIB! nice find sir!

black mamba · Sep 17, 2019

Thanks, it's a beauty.

jxr1197 · Oct 8, 2019

I just plucked this one out of the mailbox - the mighty 1947 Fortune Knife

. This was a knife-only find on ebay, the box is a spare I had tucked away waiting for this knife to come along. The verbiage on the ad was just a pile of words with no direction - it was random luck that I found it and I'm sure they didn't realize it was solid gold. I was the only bidder and all-in (shipping included) I own this little beauty for less than $20.

bladecollectorr · Oct 8, 2019

jxr1197 said:
I just plucked this one out of the mailbox - the mighty 1947 Fortune Knife. This was a knife-only find on ebay, the box is a spare I had tucked away waiting for this knife to come along. The verbiage on the ad was just a pile of words with no direction - it was random luck that I found it and I'm sure they didn't realize it was solid gold. I was the only bidder and all-in (shipping included) I own this little beauty for less than $20.

Fantastic deal if it is indeed the solid gold "Fortune Knife". I was watching a similar knife recently and came to the conclusion that it was a 846-GF as listed in the 1958 catalog:

What is stamped on the loop? 10KT? 14KT? GF (gold filled) would indicate a plated knife. Sweet knife either way.

jxr1197 · Oct 8, 2019

bladecollectorr said:
Fantastic deal if it is indeed the solid gold "Fortune Knife". I was watching a similar knife recently and came to the conclusion that it was a 846-GF as listed in the 1958 catalog:

What is stamped on the loop? 10KT? 14KT? GF (gold filled) would indicate a plated knife. Sweet knife either way.

I've seen a few of these, including the 10KT and GFs, but this one is Fortune(ately) the real deal. 14KT is all that's on the bail and it's serialized as well. This one is #2730. A couple of months ago I bought a Fortune Knife (for a lot more than $20!) which helped me navigate through the lookalikes. I'm curious what the gold weight is on these but I'm not willing to pull one apart just to find out. Where's Archimedes when you need him!?

bladecollectorr · Oct 9, 2019

Screamin' deal! These type of collector treasure finds are what make the hobby so gratifying. Nice addition to this thread.