Major Schrade Collections?

textoothpk

textoothpk

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Most of us will recall when this big Schrade collection was broken up on Ebay, photo below. 'Award Winning Collection' it was advertised as. Question most likely best answered by LT... No names necessary, but LT, are there any very large privately held Schrade collections? Besides yours, of course.

I recall reading about Herman Williams, how his collection was added to Schrades'. He probably never dreamed it would be ebayed off by SMKW. I have a pic of some perfect, mint, beautiful old Imperial Toothpicks (the solid handle/bolster 5" ones, the high quality ones Imperial once made) that were part of his personal collection. Is Herman Williams still among us?

Any of you other's see Schrade collections at knife shows?

Phil
 

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This is some of the items we just acquired out of the collection of Irv Trachtenberg, former Marketing and Product Development Manager of Schrade Cutlery from early 1970's until 1984. We bought this massive collection and will be offering some of the absolute finest pieces of Schrade Cutlery, and many other extremely fine pieces for auction such as this Genuine Stag Cripple Creek Butterbean Stock Knife, in the upcoming days, weeks, and months. Folks, this is a totally outstanding group of knives, you'll see, just keep watching our auctions. With each item sold out of the Irv Trachtenberg Collection, you will receive a Certificate of Authenticity verifying these items came out of this splendid group of knives & cutlery memoribilia, spanning a 20 year period.
Click to expand...

Here is an eBay listing from someone known as silverladdie. I would imagine there are quite a few out there, including the Langston Collection. Was that a picture of the Scarborough Collection? I am still trying to get a picture of the Vickery and Anderson Collections, and a few others.

Codger
 
Codger,
Compared to LT's collection my collection fits in a couple of shoe boxes!
Actually everything fits in a 12x12 room which includes a desk and computer with a filing cab. 2 windows and a cork board take up 1/2 of the wall space.
It is a great place to come and hide.
TTYL
Larry
 
Silverladdie was Jim Parker's Ebay handle, it is now his son's. I would imagine the Irv Trachtenberg collection was quite a sight if he worked at Schrade. Some interesting pieces, but you know, it is the things we won't see on ebay-- Items sold to major collectors-- that were probably really cool.

No, Mike, that pic was not the Scarborough collection. Which consists of 100 odd five inch texas toothpicks, unknown number of Schrades (need to catalog all of them), and a bunch of oddballs.

What Larry is referring to is a.... MAN CAVE! Mine is still under construction, trim carpenter shows up next monday.

"Award Winning" CAN Asimply mean this: You have entered your collection (factory knives, customs, whatever) in a show and people vote on it, judging by the number of knives, the display in general, whether or not they like you, ect. A half dozen second and third place awards rates your collection as 'Award Winning'
 
In order to answer this question you must first qualify what kind of collectibles that you are referring to. Many collectors are very private they have buildings devoted to there persuits. Jay Leno is a known collector of cars and motorcycles. Yet years ago a friend of mine who had 3 British motorcycles asked me it I would like to go over to an acquaintence of his who had an interest one of his bikes. My friend was a scot and never sold anything he was a packrats, packrat. Still he said lets go over and talk to the guy. I knew he had something up his sleeve. When we got there the man invited us into the bar and while there asked if we would like to see his motor cycle collection. An entire wall of the barroom open up and we were in a building the size of an airplane hanger. Inside side by side filling the entire giant area were hundreds of every type of antique motorcycle ever made. I truly doubt if there was another collection like it. It was rather lost on me since all I know about motorcycles is that I do not ride them. Still one had to be amazed . When the fellow who owned this collection passed away no one aside from his immediate family, and a handful of people knew he owned it what was in it and in some cases that some of the examples he had even existed. I could go into the history of the gentleman and explain some of how and why he amassed this collection but it would be beside the point. The point being that much of what is out there is only known to a select few.

When I worked for the prison system every year an undercover death list was put out by the inmates on the officers who were supposed to be the meanest. No one was supposed to know about it but of course everyone did. I mention this because the nature of collectors, secretive or not, is to want to know where there collection ( ie they) ranks with the rest of the big boys. My first love in knives are the domestic automatics from the beginning 17 hundreds until 1956 and even through today. This field is no different than any other. much of my stuff unlike most other collectors is documented and well known. I do know quite a few of these people who are in this league and some have amazing collections however they still let me play in the game so I have made the top 10 as it has been called.

As far as regular knives as anyone who collects anything, knows you may start with one pattern or company in mind but periferial collections start to accumulate like barnacles on a wood ship. In my case this really has gotten out of hand. I have been lucky for various reasons by starting 50 years ago and being from the area I have been able to access many things that most will never see as I always say, getting a one of a kind item from a factory is amazing. Most collectors are happy with a prototype knife my artifacts go well beyond that level. My situation allows my playing this foolish game more or less as I wish and since I enjoy it why not.

My greatest frustration in this endeaver is attempting to let the world see some of these items and the problems I have encountered by those who do not know or care, the world of museums seems to be filled with little boney liberal people enthralled by a painting or piece of crockery but much to effite to see the integral crafted beauty or importance of a 100 years old knife or other related artifact. It seems these tea drinking pinky finger held high types rule this field. I believe if I ever want to succeed with getting a museum or place to show this history I will have to get a TU TU Ballet slippers and change my sexual gender preference. Sorry, there I go ranting in frustration perhapes my not being quite as blunt would also help.

So in answer yes those collections are out there. You can believe that if a thief steals a 100 million dollar painting or sculpture or piece of jewelery that is so well known that it can never see light of day. It will still have a market there will be someone out there who will spend those millions even though they may well have to keep a Mona Lisa or Hope Diamond quality artifact on the wall or on a table in there barroom where only they can view it, there will still be those who do, because that is the course of this disease and the nature of the animal that covets these things.

Before I end this I want to head off some email. Yes I did make the prison hit list almost every year. I have never been very lovable however in those days I weighed 350, had a high and tight crew cut ( remember that was the time of the Afro and beatle and hippie doos.) I also sported a large handle bar mustache . I also wore black combat boots with white para tied laces. My Nick name was SASQUATCH due to my colorful ability to use those boots and my festive attitude towards rehabilitation. LT
 
"I will have to get a TU TU and Ballet slippers"

This would be one hell of a picture!
 
Interesting read as always LT. He he, I have a boxful of old harmonicas and a bunch of old referee whistles, maybe I am a collector after all....

I still have and sometimes wear my Mexican army issue boots from 1975, black leather with fancy white lacing and a buckle on the top, the old "mata viboras" (snake killers) as they used to call them, maybe I should wear them when going in the bathroom, to take care of any scorpion that happens to walk by.

Luis
 
Doggone it...I wish I'd have thought of that. I'm gonna keep a pair of sharkskin Justin's in my bathroom from now on. I could even wear them in the shower...Justin CASE. (Competitive knife content).

:D

Bill

P.S.
LT is on our Top 10 here in the Schrade Collectors Forum...but, I think it's a kinder, gentler list than that other one. :eek:
 
Hi
Did Irv Trachtenberg also work for Camillus or was it only for Schrade?

Thats an amazing but rather small pic for such an awesome collection in first post above.

I cant imagine what my wife will say if I ever end up with that many in our lounge room. Let me at it with my camera.

Regards Tim
 
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