Pushing back history

Gollnick

Gollnick

Musical Director
Joined
Mar 22, 1999
Messages
29,258
Several weeks ago, Balisong Sat IV detected an eBay auction entitled "old pocket knife" which was actually a balisong. Those data were relayed via my microwave and fiber optic network to my secret balisong headquarters from which I made by bid. With no mention of the knife being a balisong, the auction police at eBay didn't pick up on it. I was the only bidder and got it for a song.

The picture was fuzzy, the description vauge and the seller had no idea what the knife is.

It arrived today. The tang stamp reads "D.R.G.M. (over) 1867". D.R.G.M. means German. And I believe 1867 would be the date. That's a new record for oldest balisong that I've seen.

The design is very, very similar to one that I have that is reliably dated to 1895.

This furthers my assertion that the balisong design is european in orgin and dates to the eighteen or nineteenth century A.D.

Oh, there was some sort of Erickson piece that arrived today with rosewood inserts and a damascus blade. I'll get around to it. Right now, I'm busy with this wonderful historic piece!



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Goodness, Chuck. That trumps the next oldest model known by 20 years!

We know Gollnick is very secretive, and rightly so, with his balis. However, we must ask:

Can we see a picture?

I would suspect there are much older ones than even this. After all, the folding knife craze began, when, late 18th century? Back then they were going through every possible way to put a knife into a handle. Seems like the balisong configuration would have emerged, if only as a "700 monkeys typing for 700 years" phenomenon.

Now all you have to do is find it.
 
I agree with Frank.

C'mon Chuck, how about a picture or two. Think of it as you teaching us a little history lesson.

------------------
Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
Gollnick,

I wouldn't be surprised if you did actually have satellite to detect balisongs...
biggrin.gif


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A real knife collector is always broke.
 
Pictures of this wonderful piece are definitely forthcoming. But, It'll be a couple of weeks before I have time to do them. In the mean time, the change of the vault, scheduled for any day now since I developed the film with the next planned piece for the vault on Monday and all I need to do is scan them, have been postponed. This one will be the next vault piece up in a couple of weeks.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
BTW, the other auction Mr. Velitrius mentioned is a knife made by Jody Samson at Bali-Song Cutlery. It's a fixed-blade knife, not a balisong, but it is a Bali-Song. Remember, Bali-Song Cutlery made fixed-blade and conventional folders too. They even made an ax for a while.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
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