Imperial Ireland "Trick" knife

AShearer

AShearer

Joined
Nov 30, 2016
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You guys have most likely seen these.

Years ago when my son was about 12 (now 31), I took him with me to a big knife show in NYC. We stopped at a table where a dealer had a large display of small folders, camp knives etc. The kind of stuff a 12 year old boy would like. After talking to this dealer, a nice older man, for awhile, he pulled this little chrome knife from a box and said to my boy, "If you can figure out how to open it and close it all the way again, you can have it!

It took Brian about 3 or 4 minutes, but he figured it out. And, true to his word, the dealer gave Brian the knife. He spent the rest of that weekend befuddling folks at the show with that little knife. I still have it in his box of knives from when he was a kid.

I don't know if these were really made as "tricks" or just some attempt at a locking mechanism but it's a fun little story.

Know how it works?

6S80Umu.jpg
 
Sounds like you have a smart lad Alan :) I see plenty of broken ones! :eek:

There's an old thread about these knives, but I'll not spoil the fun by posting a link yet ;) :thumbup:



Here's mine, by Joseph Allen of Sheffield :thumbup:

 
Jack Black said:
Sounds like you have a smart lad Alan :) I see plenty of broken ones! :eek:

There's an old thread about these knives, but I'll not spoil the fun by posting a link yet ;) :thumbup:



This is great Jack! I had a feeling there was some little history to these, but never able to find much. Thanks for sharing especially the "Humbug" Knife advert.
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AShearer said:
This is great Jack! I had a feeling there was some little history to these, but never able to find much. Thanks for sharing especially the "Humbug" Knife advert.
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You're welcome Alan, I guess they are from a time before video games ;) :D :thumbup:
 
Thanks for sharing. I love these little knives, and have one around here somewhere. I have been to more than one yard sale/flea mkt. and watched someone struggle with the "broken" knife. Always fun to let them in on the secret.
 
This is the knife you have to do that certain thing oe it won't open right?
 
Never owned one, but I believe you have to hold it with the tip facing down and press the blade in at which point a little pin will fall out of that cutout in the blade allowing it to be opened .
 
davemonkey said:
Thanks for sharing. I love these little knives, and have one around here somewhere. I have been to more than one yard sale/flea mkt. and watched someone struggle with the "broken" knife. Always fun to let them in on the secret.
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I'm easily entertained🙂
 
I think celluloid scales missing from OP knife in photo. I've always heard them called 'Trick Knives'. 300

 
You got it! No prize, but my eternal thanks for closing this out 😄😄😄
 
Is that what those are??? I always thought that notch at the base of the blade was supposed to be a cap lifter!
 
I have one my mom's mother gave me back in 2003 before she passed away that looks just like the mother of pearl celluloid scale one in the pic 300 posted. One of my friends who can figure out nearly anything in a few minutes still doesn't know how to open that knife after showing it to him almost 13 years ago. It is a nice knife and fun messing with people with it.
 
countryguy07 said:
I have one my mom's mother gave me back in 2003 before she passed away that looks just like the mother of pearl celluloid scale one in the pic 300 posted. One of my friends who can figure out nearly anything in a few minutes still doesn't know how to open that knife after showing it to him almost 13 years ago. It is a nice knife and fun messing with people with it.
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Your quote about your smart friend is hilarious. I have a couple buddies like that. Some of them maybe couldn't open a "normal' slip:rolleyes:
 
The top knife in 300Bucks photo is the first pocketknife I ever owned, except mine had the Providence tang stamp. I bought it at a flea market as a kid sometime around 1980. I was very proud of that knife because because I felt like a grown up getting to carry a knife, and I could confuse people with the trick needed to open the knife.

While it was just a cheap flea market knife, I didn't know any better so I thought it was the coolest knife in the world. I believe I recall reading on another thread that the inexpensive Imperial knives with their hollow shell bolsters used decent carbon steel for the blades though.

A couple of years ago, my brother found my old Imperial knife in a box full of old toys and junk and returned it to me. My knife collection now includes the first knife I ever owned. The blade is black from patina, and the little pin inside which moves to lock and unlock the blade was stuck due to gunk and light rust. However after a soak in oil and a thorough cleaning, I now have it working again.
 
Saluki01 said:
The top knife in 300Bucks photo is the first pocketknife I ever owned, except mine had the Providence tang stamp. I bought it at a flea market as a kid sometime around 1980. I was very proud of that knife because because I felt like a grown up getting to carry a knife, and I could confuse people with the trick needed to open the knife.

While it was just a cheap flea market knife, I didn't know any better so I thought it was the coolest knife in the world. I believe I recall reading on another thread that the inexpensive Imperial knives with their hollow shell bolsters used decent carbon steel for the blades though.

A couple of years ago, my brother found my old Imperial knife in a box full of old toys and junk and returned it to me. My knife collection now includes the first knife I ever owned. The blade is black from patina, and the little pin inside which moves to lock and unlock the blade was stuck due to gunk and light rust. However after a soak in oil and a thorough cleaning, I now have it working again.
Click to expand...

Yes, the carbon steel they used is awesome.
The imperials and colonials were basically America's peasant knives, they weren't built fancily but they just plain work.
I currently have 3 imperials, my dads old hatchet, a replacement for its h6 fixed blade counterpart, and a jackmaster Barlow which is one of my favorite edc's. They all take a great edge and are no stranger to daily cutting tasks ( not the hatchet of course )
I'd really love to find one of these trick knives at the flea market, but I just don't see this kind of stuff where I live ( I'll never use that auction site )
 
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