- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
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- 8,216
As a standard practice I always attempt to find out whatever I can about any knife I acquire. After all these years, I've learned that there are often stories (sometimes really good ones) attached to many. And here we have a great example. Anyone who knows even a little about Loveless knives knows the name Jim Merritt, but almost never sees a knife with the Merritt maker's mark. That's because there is a true dearth of "Loveless-style" knives that actually carry such a mark.
But here we have one, a Wilderness fighter (blade 5 7/8", overall 10 7/8", exceptional fit and finish). I did a little digging and found that Mr Merritt and a confidante had actually been discussing this very knife only a week or so ago. As it turns out, I was told that just two such pieces were ever made, using some pretty special oak handle material - from the "Charter Oak Tree" in Bell County, Texas, which marks the site of the chartering of the County of Bell (1850) and it's first election (in Texas, Charter in a tree name refers to the chartering of a county).
This one was confirmed to have been made about ten years ago by special order for a special Texan. The other was made a year or two ago, for the County of Bell, State of Texas. Mr Merritt has his own very special connection to Texas which, in fact, actually caused both of these two knives to be made. Serendipity played a part in the story here, too. I'm a Texas native, many years removed, and have my own connection to Bell County - to the city of Temple, located in Bell County. My "second father" (actually my uncle) was CEO of a big company in Temple many years ago (American Desk), and I traveled there frequently to see family.
To have found this knife is really a treat, given all it's history, my own history, it's uniqueness, etc. There can be no better rendition of a Loveless knife than from the hands and toil of Jim Merritt, which I'm thinkin' would probably go undisputed by anyone and everyone who knows anything. After all, the only difference between this Wilderness and a Loveless Wilderness is a maker's mark. So, a few images below,including the tree itself:
But here we have one, a Wilderness fighter (blade 5 7/8", overall 10 7/8", exceptional fit and finish). I did a little digging and found that Mr Merritt and a confidante had actually been discussing this very knife only a week or so ago. As it turns out, I was told that just two such pieces were ever made, using some pretty special oak handle material - from the "Charter Oak Tree" in Bell County, Texas, which marks the site of the chartering of the County of Bell (1850) and it's first election (in Texas, Charter in a tree name refers to the chartering of a county).
This one was confirmed to have been made about ten years ago by special order for a special Texan. The other was made a year or two ago, for the County of Bell, State of Texas. Mr Merritt has his own very special connection to Texas which, in fact, actually caused both of these two knives to be made. Serendipity played a part in the story here, too. I'm a Texas native, many years removed, and have my own connection to Bell County - to the city of Temple, located in Bell County. My "second father" (actually my uncle) was CEO of a big company in Temple many years ago (American Desk), and I traveled there frequently to see family.
To have found this knife is really a treat, given all it's history, my own history, it's uniqueness, etc. There can be no better rendition of a Loveless knife than from the hands and toil of Jim Merritt, which I'm thinkin' would probably go undisputed by anyone and everyone who knows anything. After all, the only difference between this Wilderness and a Loveless Wilderness is a maker's mark. So, a few images below,including the tree itself:
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