Codger_64
Moderator
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2004
- Messages
- 62,324
Some of you may remember a while back when I ran across a couple of knives marked "Imperial Mexico".
One of them had stag jigged plastic handles with a carved "stag head". Since that time I have searched in vain to find clues to when Imperial made the effort to import knives from Mexico in order to bracket a date for this knife. No luck. But...the Imperial catalog from 1959 shows an assortment of knives quite similar in handle design called "Kameo Karved" D400ST(stagged), D400KP (simulated pearl), and 400BH (buffalo horn).
And later in 1961, Ulster shows us their version of the design, the "Bonite" handled "Stag's Head" 50D.
Last week I found another example, the D400BH, buffalo horn as shown in the '59 Imperial catalog..
And just to show you that Forrest Gump was right......
...it has a serrated Wonda-edge!
Now, I know what you're thinking...why all this trouble and interest over some dime-store knives that history forgot. Well, novelty knives are interesting to me. No, they are not icons of art and innovation. No, they don't glitter with pearl and gold and magnificently jigged stag or bone, and the blade steel is not the finest, and the blade designs are not inspiring, usually flat or chisel ground, some not much more that mere stampings.
But they were affordable knives during an era when every boy owned one or two knives, and showing them off at recess was expected. Stick somebody with one? I should say not! Peel your apple at lunch, poke a straw hole in your milk carton, cut a knotted shoe lace, sharpen your pencil, and mumbly peg under the shade of the oak tree on the playground. It didn't take a state of the art expensive knife to make us happy and proud.
Anyone else have one of these? Have any more clues as to the dates?
Codger
One of them had stag jigged plastic handles with a carved "stag head". Since that time I have searched in vain to find clues to when Imperial made the effort to import knives from Mexico in order to bracket a date for this knife. No luck. But...the Imperial catalog from 1959 shows an assortment of knives quite similar in handle design called "Kameo Karved" D400ST(stagged), D400KP (simulated pearl), and 400BH (buffalo horn).
And later in 1961, Ulster shows us their version of the design, the "Bonite" handled "Stag's Head" 50D.
Last week I found another example, the D400BH, buffalo horn as shown in the '59 Imperial catalog..
And just to show you that Forrest Gump was right......
...it has a serrated Wonda-edge!
Now, I know what you're thinking...why all this trouble and interest over some dime-store knives that history forgot. Well, novelty knives are interesting to me. No, they are not icons of art and innovation. No, they don't glitter with pearl and gold and magnificently jigged stag or bone, and the blade steel is not the finest, and the blade designs are not inspiring, usually flat or chisel ground, some not much more that mere stampings.
But they were affordable knives during an era when every boy owned one or two knives, and showing them off at recess was expected. Stick somebody with one? I should say not! Peel your apple at lunch, poke a straw hole in your milk carton, cut a knotted shoe lace, sharpen your pencil, and mumbly peg under the shade of the oak tree on the playground. It didn't take a state of the art expensive knife to make us happy and proud.
Anyone else have one of these? Have any more clues as to the dates?
Codger