Help identifying grandpa’s old knife

[SeanMascaro]

This was my grandpa’s knife and i found it the other day, wondering what it is. He died 15 years ago so it’s older than that.
https://pasteboard.co/PGcQPWJFWFH1.jpg https://pasteboard.co/9MrDp4pbNxEU.jpg

 

[Arathol]

Inexpensive locking stiletto style knife made in Japan....

 

[Bastler]

Welcome to the forum. Cool knife. I remember those from when I was a pup, so it's probably a little more than 15 years old.

 

[killgar]

That brings back fond memories.

When I was a small child I became fascinated by folding stilettos (this started with the ones owned and carried by my biker uncle). And the fact that my mother forbid me from having one made me want one even more. And then there were all the movies and TV shows with the bad guys having stilettos.

When I was in the 6th grade there was a fellow student who had a knife identical to your grandpa's. I would always ask him to let me see it, and I often offered to buy it from him. He reject several of my offers until one day I offered the tidy sum of $3.50. That was the magic number and he finally sold me the knife.

That knife was a prize possession for a few years.

I've seen that exact knife attributed to both Valor (Japanese knife maker) and the Westbury Sales Company. It's possible that Valor made them for Westbury as Westbury was an importer/seller (in New York if I recall correctly) and not a manufacturer. Westbury often advertised that knife for sale in various magazines back in the 1970's and 80's. But Westbury is long gone now.

Thanks for sharing. And welcome to Bladeforums.