Owl Head sheep horn stockman, Weidmanshell cigar knife

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silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

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Stopped at an antique shop in Hanover PA on Saturday, one guy has a pretty nice selection of knives, mainly traditionals. His prices are astronomical, but sometimes you find a reasonable price. I've been eyeing an Owl Head stockman for some time, I like the sheep horn. Don't know if there is really a difference in rams horn and sheeps horn, is it the same thing? Don't really care right now, the knife is mine. Paid 37 bucks for it, no box. Tang is stamped OH-SH, with Munich Germany stamped underneath that, on the main blade. All three blades are stamped Owlhead, with two owl heads on one side, and the company name Owl Head. On the spey and sheepsfoot, Oil All Springs is stamped. Any idea on the age, steel and durability of the horn? Carried it the rest of Saturday, and EDCing it today. Little slivers of the horn are coming off in my hands too, super small shaving size.

Also saw a Weidmanshell cigar knife. Huge single blade knife. Guy wanted a hundred bucks for it. Looked like a great little knife, but I wasn't about to pay a hundred bucks for it, especially when I had no idea what the value was, or even what it was. Anyone got feedback on that? Looked like jigged bone.
 
That price on the Owl Head sounds high in comparison to other Owl Head stockman knives, or other Owl Head horn knives on Ebay. Why does it fetch a premium price? The blade descriptions and stampings sound just like the Owl Head abalone I bought my son for Christmas.
 
The Weidmannsheil sounds interesting! Not heard of a cigar-knife before, is it a small lockback with spear blade in carbon or what?The scales could be buffalo horn. Hundred sounds like too much cash, most small Weidmannsheils go for 40-65 on the Bay.

I thought Owl Head was actually a Chinese set-up but I could be wrong, only it's a bit odd it's stamped Munich rather than Munchen or Solingen. ram's horn and sheep's horn must be the same only the Ram produces er, a lot of horn...and it sounds more impressive! Really nice material for scales though.
 
i just bought 2 "German Owl Head" knives on ebay: a 4 in. sowbelly with sheepshorn for $20.50, and a 3 7/8 in. stockman with gold swirl handles for $12.50. stampings are same as yours. i emailed the seller whose ad said knife is "made in Germany" as to how he knew this to be so, as i suspect China is country of origin. there has been no reply. roland
 
I'm not 100% sure, but I feel that very little cutlery was made in Munich, the north of Germany being the traditional location for German steel and cutlery manufacturing. We need a German or somebody with total knowledge to comment on this.
 
I don't really mind over paying for it, bought a knife and the knowledge from a mistake. I just want a knife made in Germany. Maybe I'll have to take some pics and post this in Mr Levines forum.
 
there are a number of posts here in Bladeforums regarding knives stamped "Germany" being made in China. spending a few months watching "folding Knives" or "pocket knives" on ebay is the best education. certain brands are just too plentiful and too cheap. owl head, hen & rooster and kissing crane are examples of this. reading the ads or tang stampings would lead one to assume they are made in Germany. the very occassional seller does state "made in China". older knives with these brands probably were made in Germany, but it takes awhile of "watching" to discern which ones these are. roland
 
I picked up an older(I think) Red Bone Owl Head Congress on eBay that has a Solingen Germany stamp on the blade. There are no markings that say "oil the joints" or" Munich iron works" The shield looks very different from currently available models. The fit and finish is a little rough, but the blades sharpened up nicely and retain a shaving sharp edge for quite a while. Not sure if it was actually made in Germany. I probably paid too much, but my curiosity is satisfied. I doubt I'll ever purchase another Owl Head.

1e61_1.jpg
 
i received my first Owl head knife today from a reputable ebay knife seller. his description: "nice Older German Owl Head 4 blade Congress knife" "Tang reads OWL HEAD SOLINGEN OIL THE JOINTS" and "One of the older Owl Head knives not the China made". well, one tang does read as above, but another reads: SOLINGEN/GERMANY/JAPAN, with Japan being an etch, not a stamping.
so, were Owl Head ever made in Germany? i doubt it. more likely, "older" ones, Japan; "newer" ones, China. roland
 
I am pretty sure that Clarence Risner used to import the Owl Heads back in the 80's and 90's and they were German made.
 
You must have bought that at the Black Rose Antique Mall. I stop in there from time to time myself but have found no good buys yet on knives.
In fact they are usually way overpriced in that particular shop.
Those Weidmannsheils were going for about $50 or so on ebay for the longest time. But the supply could be drying up. I keep hearing that they had stopped making them. But who knows for sure because they seem plentiful enough at shows and in the flea markets. every one that I have looked at was of top quality so let your own eyes and hands be the judge on how much you wanna pay.
 
Thats right, Black Rose antique mall. Actually, they moved from the antique mall, the knife guy had several cases of knives, someone broke into his display and he had to put said cases in storage. Their behind the mall, in the Stone Gate shopping center.

The guys prices are way over what the market will bear, I'm surprised he sells anything at all. I overpaid for a Camillus rough cuts stockman by a couple dollars, if I find out that the Owl Head was made anywhere but Germany, I will go back to him and see what I can do about a refund. His card for the knife said it was made in Germany, possibly carbon steel. Eh, no use even doing that. Live and learn.
 
I posted a similar picture a few months ago , here is a comparison between a Smith & Wesson Sowbelly and an OH.

You can see they are very similar, but the S&W is made in China and is marked as such.

I have no complaints regarding the overall quality of the S&W knife I own (it"s average) , but the way the Owl Head brand is being marketed is deceptive. I knew the S&W was an import and I only paid about $15.00 for it.

ohsw.jpg
 
rprocter said:
i just bought 2 "German Owl Head" knives on ebay: a 4 in. sowbelly with sheepshorn for $20.50, and a 3 7/8 in. stockman with gold swirl handles for $12.50. stampings are same as yours. i emailed the seller whose ad said knife is "made in Germany" as to how he knew this to be so, as i suspect China is country of origin. there has been no reply. roland
Click to expand...
Just saw a nice little owl sowbelly on ebay with buffalo horn handle. Did a little research and found out that it's a german based company that produce their knives in china. I'm curious to know how much quality $20 can buy you... Just been looking at some nice traditional Ohta's , god they're pricey!!!
 
This thread is quite old. For more recent info you might do a search in the forum for recent threads on Rough Rider's, Colt Knives, Steel Warrior and other off shore manufacturers besides German Owl.
 
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