Please help I. D. old knife

R

Russell Payne

Joined
Oct 9, 2000
Messages
183
First time on this forum. I picked up an old (I think it is old) knife in a little shop in Galax, VA but no nothing about it as far as the brand. It is about 3 1/2 inches long, a two-blade jack pattern in carbon steel with no bolsters on the end opposite the tang. The bolsters are not long like a barlow but just regular. The tang on the main blade is marked with four numbers with an arrow through them with U.S.A. under it. No name just the numbers with the arrow. It has real nice brown bone handles and is in great shape, used but good. I was hoping someone might shed some light on this neat old knife. Thanks for any help.:confused:
 
Hi Russell, welcome!

Try also posting this in the Bernard Levine forum too. Between these guys and Bernard, they will find the info for you. Do you have a picture of it?
 
Are you sure that the stamp is four numbers and not the word VOOS? What you describe sounds like a VOOS jack pattern.
 
Paged through a couple of hundred pages in Goins Encylopedia and could not find it. Lots with arrows, but did not see any with numbers.
 
Thanks for the replys. Do not have a picture at present but will try to get my wife to post one. She could figure out how to get a picture posted. I'll check again but I'm pretty sure there are four numbers. I've been out of town at our church conference. Will try your suggestions. Thanks again.
 
Took an eraser and cleaned the tang a little and it very well might be VOOS with an arrow through the name. What is VOOS?
 
Hi Russell,
I paged through Goins again. No luck. Goins lists by company name and sometimes the tang mark or stamp does not contain the company name.

Try taking a look at it with a magnifying glass and let us know if there are any other markings on the tangs.
 
Hi,

Levine's Guide list two Voos, and one does match your marking:)(I knew I remembered it from somewhere).

The Ernest Voos Cut. Co. of Ct. in business from 1923-pres., used a marking of VOOS with an arrow. Some of their knives were made in Germany, or made by Empire Knife Co. (1856-1930).



HTH:D:).
 
I recently had a VOOS catalog, from 1956, listed them as being in New Haven Connecticut. The catalog showed mostly kitchen cutlery/chefs cutlery and kitchen tools, a few hunting knives and only a few pocket knives - all of them the small jewelry type knives.

I have seen many VOOS pocketknives over the years, and 99% of them have been the same basic jack pattern identical to your description. The balance have been the jewelry type knives.
 
Thanks guys for all the help. I did some digging in a book I have and I believe it is a VOOS. The book listed the 3 1/2 inch jack pattern with bone handles. Sounds like it. It is a neat old knife. There are no other markings on the tangs. I was just curious. Thanks again everyone.
 
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