George Washington knife question

P

Pmazzei

Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Messages
19
Hi guys. I was hoping someone would have some info on a Camillus knife I purchased on Ebay. It's a Camillus George Washington commemorative knife. Ritchie and Stewart's "The Standard Knife Collector's Guide" 3rd Ed. page 499 states that the first issue of this Camillus knife was produced in the 1930s but was re-issued in 1998. The 1930s knife is valued by Ritchie and Stewart at $350. The 1998 issue's current collector value is not stated but was priced originally at $89. I paid $20.51.

According to Levine's Guide, Camillus tang stamps prior to WW 2 stated "Camillus Cutlery Co. Camillus, NY USA" and after WW 2 changed to "Camillus NY USA".

The Tang on this knife states "Camillus Cutlery Co Camillus NY" and therefore would seem to indicate a pre-WW 2 knife. However, there is no "USA". Is it possible that the stamp was abbreviated by Camillus to accommodate the small size of this knife?

The knife is 2.5 inches closed, of high quality and has a general patina of age, so I think the knife is genuine. I just don't know why the "USA" is missing from the tang. Can anyone shed any light on this?

By the way, the knife can still be viewed on Ebay as item number 6622401696

Thanks in advance.

John
 
Sure looks like the 1930's issue to me, with the blue writing. Please let's wait and see what our moderator, Company Historian 'CAMCO' has to say about it.

And Tom (camco). How many issues of the George Washingon knife has there been? The 1930s, yes, the later one 1998 with Pearl Handles installed by Santa Fe stoneworks.. any others?


Phil
 
Thanks Phil,

I'll have to wait for more info. Hopefully Camco can shed some light on this.

John
 
John,
The George Washington that you purchased on Ebay was the first one made by Camillus that was introduced in 1932. This knife was a replica of the actual knife owned by Washington and was made to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth. At slighlty more than $20 you got a great deal.
The second George Washington knife was a minature version made for the 1939 World's Fair.
The third version was made in the late 1990's.
Most pre-WWII Camillus knives have the 4 line tang stamp. A 3 line stamping was used on some of the smaller knives. A stamp was also used prewar that had Camillus in an arch.

Tom Williams
 
Thanks very much Tom. I guess those idle hours passed browsing the collectors' guides paid off. In fact, I had been casually studying that knife in the Ritchie and Stewart book a couple of days before I just happened to see it on Ebay. I recalled how the authors said that locating one of those knives would be quite a find so I double checked by comparing the pics and sure enough it seemed to be the one they have pictured in the book. I understand that ultimately any object's monetary value is simply what someone is willing pay for it. However, I don't think I would have gone as high as the $350 that Ritchie and Stewart claim it's worth. In your opinion, what is the value of this knife among a community of knowledgeable collectors Tom?
 
In my opinion a 1932 George Washington knife in good to excellent condition would be valued at $50 to $100.

Tom Williams
 
Weren't there two recent versions? First with fake pearl retailing for about $40, then later with real pearl for more?
 
Carl 64-You are correct. Camillus made a skeleton of the George Washington knife and sent them to Sante Fe Stoneworks to have pearl handles installed. I was not aware of this knife and Wendy at Camillus provided this information.

Tom Williams
 
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