Help with press Button knife

[david boone]

I need help with a press button knife I purchased. I need your opion on what to do with it, the press button action works but the the spring is weak, and the blade has a lot of rust, but as for as I can tell no pitting. I can read the patten # 470605 on the right side of the blade, The blade is 4 1/4",and the handle is a textured dark brown material with 5 pins on each side, on the right side there is a small chip between the two top pins. My questons are these, how can I tell how old it is? Should I remove the rust from the blade so I can read the info. on the right side of the blade? What will this do to the value? what do you thank the value is? And any more feedback you might haveon this subject.

 

[orthogonal1]

I think this will be best answered over in the auto area or Mr. Levines area.

The pictures will need to be bigger/higher definition, though.

 

[Don Luis]

I think that you may also get some good info over at the Schrade Collectors Forum.

Luis

 

[Cougar Allen]

All good suggestions, but let's go with the Schrade Collectors' forum.

 

[Stargzrrag]

I recently came into possesion of one of these knives too (same US Pat #), unfortunately mine's button-sde bolster is missing.

From what I have read (in various posts on here) the knife was made sometime between 1894 and 1924 by a company that was once owned by one of Schrade's founders.

Was there more information about this knife?

 

[TennKnifeman]

Press Button Knife Company was formed by George Schrade and Walden knife company to produce George Schrade's invention of the press button knife. When he improved his design and put a safety on it he brought in his brothers and Schrade Cutlery was formed, around 1904.

Walden Knife Co. was bought by Winchester just after World War II, when Winchester entered the pocketknife game.

As for values, I have seen knives in the condition of yours sell for $175 up to $300 or so, but saying this the auto collectors are working on a different scale and price value system. The prices I saw was paid for by vintage knife collectors.

And here we go on this part: Despite numerous and varying state regulations on owning switchblades, some with exemptions, some without, it is my understanding (although I am not a lawyer) that it is still a federal crime to introduce a switchblade into interstate commerce--ie sell, travel with, buy, etc. over a state line. Meaning that to be legal your state would have to have a collectors or curio exemption (such as Texas), or be totally legal (such as Oregon), and to be in compliance with the Switchblade Act of the 50's it MUST NOT HAVE CROSSED A STATE LINE, so must have been in the state since the enactment of the switchblade act.

Now I am personally against any knife restriction (I think the Bill of Rights guarantees our right to keep and bear arms--although some in the knife industry are doing their best to take the knife industry out from under that guarantee by trying to designate knives as "tools" and not as "weapons" (ie arms as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights).

And there is no denying that there are some that wink at the law and will tell you that the switchblade act does not apply to them...or you But I for one am not willing to take the risk. Of the things on my resume in the knife field, I have never wanted "Test Case" to be on it. I have read and re-read the Federal Switchblade Act and unfortunately there is no exemption for knife collectors.

At one time I suggested breaking the spring out of switchblades thus making them legal and able to be legally sold over state lines. Didn't get much support on that as I recall.