Parker/Bulldog knives

[silenthunterstudios]

I went to the local gun show, and almost bought/traded for a Bulldog trapper. Jigged bone, carbon steel blades. Superb walk and talk. (I did sell a Great Eastern furtaker trapper).

Over the years, I have seen Parker and Bulldog knives here and there at flea markets. I have a Standing Rock Cutlery with the Bulldog logo on the other side of the blade stamp, my only example (Improved Order of Redmen SFO). This one may have been made in the USA or Germany. A clasp knife, it was made specifically for the Baltimore lodge.

The knife I saw this afternoon had to have been made in Germany. Many of the Parker knives were made in China, Taiwan and Japan, or so I have heard/read. As far as I know, many of them are from the 70's to 80's? Are they still in production? I see them advertised in Knife World.

In addition to information about them, I'd like to see some pics of your Parker and Bulldog folders and fixed blades, old timey please.

I will work on getting a pic of my Standing Rock up. My buddy was the Sachem of the Baltimore lodge, and member of a few other lodges in PA. He was the first American Indian sachem to boot.

 

[r8shell]

I picked this one up for cheap at a show. I don't know much about Parker knives, but I think it is from 1988. That's what it says on the shield. The main blade is also marked "prototype run" Does anyone know if that means anything? I'm not asking its value, but I just wonder if this means that it's rare, or are there thousands of prototypes running around?

I've been meaning to ask over on the identification/collection board, but finally got around to photographing it.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

So far as I know, the knives actually branded as 'Bulldog' are/were all made in Germany, at the Friedrich Olbertz factory (Solingen). The Bulldog brand was owned by James Parker, but these knives were distinctly segregated from other 'Parker' branded knives imported from many other manufacturing sources in Japan, China, etc.

I have a 'Pocket Knife Trader's Price Guide' (Volume 8), written/published by James Parker. He gives a pretty detailed history of the Bulldog knives in the book. The 'First Generation' (1978 - 1987) knives from Bulldog are the most sought after, among collectors. Subsequent generations (through the 5th generation in 2000) are listed in the book as well. There were later releases in 2004-2007, but not referred to in the same 'generation' context. Don't know how the quality of later knives compares to the early ones. Note: this guide mentions ONE pattern, a 3-blade Sowbelly Whittler, which was made in the USA in 1995. Doesn't say in which factory, though. Otherwise, the guide specifies as follows (as of the publishing date of the guide in 2007):

"Bulldog Brand Knives are still produced in the same factory with the same hand made quality as always."

Here's a picture of one of mine, a 1st-gen 'Cattle King' stockman pattern (1985; year stamped on blade), alongside an identically-named Queen 'Cattle King' stockman:


David

 

[TLARbb]

Most of my Bulldogs were cell, but I had a couple of stag models. I like the steel they used, but have not been thrilled about the celluloid.

Some Bulldog canoes:

A couple more here with stag:

Couple more cell models:

and the purple swirl family photo:

Ed J

 

[Sonnemann]

Here is a Bulldog Congress, 1984. Gotta love that shield.