Old Primble Knife Help

[Randy1949]

This morning while getting up leaves in my yard a old friend from the Lincoln Mill village in Huntsville, Alabama drove up. It was a real surprise as we only see each other onece every couple of years. I never knew eith of my Grand Parents so her Mother and Dad became like Grand Parents to me. I loved and treated them as close family. They lived in the mill village duplex next to ours. To my surprise she handed me a knife indicating that she thought it belonged with me. To my surprise as I examined it, it seemed to be a high quality knife. It is a Primble with No. 5371 stamped on the back side of the main clip blade. The front tang is stamped "JOHN PRIMBLE" over "Belknap" over what appears to be three letters I can't positively identify followed by "A MFG Co." . I would appreciate any information concering this knife especially the approximate age, scale material, and general quality.

Thanks a lot. It's a sincere honor to be a very small part of this forum.

Randy

 

[JD Mandrell]

The three letters you have trouble reading are probably "HDW", short for "Hardware" The full tangstamp should be:

John Primble
Belknap
HDW. & MFG. CO.

That tangstamp dates it roughly from the 40's-the late 60's.

Would need a picture to be sure about the handle amterial, these were made in several differnt handles.

I "think" the 5371's were actually made by Schrade, but am not 100%. John Primble was a house name of knives for the old Belknap Hardware Store and did not actually make knives, they were all contracted from other knife companies.