Richards Knives: Boyhood Favourates

Jack I knew you were old, actually not that old LOL, but that high condition 1891 penny is pretty amazing!
 
R.c.s said:
I picked his Richards up a couple of weeks back on a holiday to Devon . it needs a little clean up mark but if you like it send me your address and I will post it to you ...
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You are a gentleman R.c.s. This is certainly one of the illusive ones I mentioned above mate. I'd be delighted to take it off you if you can bear to part with it and it didn't cost you an arm and a leg. As you know I'm not adverse to a knife that has seen some life and would relish giving this a good clean up and entering it into the collection. It would be a really meaningful addition. Thank you very much.
 
Blake the Blade said:
Thanks for the memories Jack. I had a feeling you'd be a fan of Richards knives. Like the collection, particularly the bone/antler looking one and the lambsfoot. Here are some more of mine, including one (on the right) that I bought recently. Is this the Barlow type you were talking about? Its got a really robust feel to it this one, it really snaps shut and opens up tight, is sharp and totally useable. Love it.

Richards Penknives by Mark Saunders, on Flickr
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Nice collection Blake, they all look to be in good shape. I have a Jack like the one on the right, but with a single blade, and with the 'No30' stamp Richards also used, sent to me by Meako. My Barlow has a front 'bolster' 3 times the length, and a single spearpoint blade 3" in length :thumbup:
 
iSaur said:
I have this one, which is like smiling-knife's (no fourth blade). There is just a washer to serve as a spacer.


The first knife I ever owned at about age seven (given to me by my father) was like this but with just a single spearpoint blade, no tools. I'm pretty sure it was a Richards because all the shell-handled knives sold in Canada at the time seem to have been Richards. They actually weren't bad. The first knife I ever bought with my own money, from a cardboard display at the corner variety store, was a shell-handled stockman style. I was about ten when I bought it, and it served me through Scouts and many camping trips. By the time I lost it, some time after I graduated from university, the green celluloid had all peeled off, the tin covers were badly dented, and the main blade had been broken twice, but it was still cutting.

One Christmas, our Sunday school teacher gave us all presents. The boys got SAK-style shell-handled knives with tartan pattern covers printed with a bible verse, so probably from a company that supplied religious-themed gifts. They had, among other tools, a glass cutter (for stained glass repairs?) and a corkscrew (in case someone changed water to wine?). I'd bet they were Richards knives.

This little jack, which makes a peanut look big, was my father's.
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Nice knives in great condition and lovely stories attached too. Thanks very much iSaur. :thumbup:
 
ptradeco said:
Jack I knew you were old, actually not that old LOL, but that high condition 1891 penny is pretty amazing!
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LOL! :D Thanks Brad, the other side is equally nice I think, I guess I really shouldn't just let it rattle around in my change. Actually, I was buying a sandwich and a coffee earlier, and the Italian proprietor of the cafe spotted it and admired it. I told him that they had coins like that when I was a boy (which they did until 1971), and he looked at me rather oddly! :D I said I'd take him one the next time I'm in :)
 
I had a 4 blade Richards knife when I was a kid. It cost 80p from a hardware shop. To me, it was like having Excaliber to fight off dragons and sharks! Happy days.
 
Shing said:
I had a 4 blade Richards knife when I was a kid. It cost 80p from a hardware shop. To me, it was like having Excaliber to fight off dragons and sharks! Happy days.
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Excellent! I could be Robin Hood, a pirate of old, one of the penguins henchmen, Dick Turpin, Tarzan and an escapee from Colditz, all in the same week. And always with my trusty Richards by my side. :thumbup: :) :) :)
 
Blake the Blade said:
Excellent! I could be Robin Hood, a pirate of old, one of the penguins henchmen, Dick Turpin, Tarzan and an escapee from Colditz, all in the same week. And always with my trusty Richards by my side. :thumbup: :) :) :)
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Brilliant! :D :thumbup:
 
Jack Black said:
Fantastic :) This one was a lucky find in mint condition, but I occasionally come across the knives, and less frequently, the tools :thumbup: I do remember one wag christening them 'The Dads Disappointment'! :D
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(Referring to the toolkit in the red vinyl case.)

lol Jack. Yes, I imagine there are many more in mint condition in the backs of drawers. They wouldn't kick a Swiss Army Knife out of anyone's pocket.:D
 
iSaur said:
(Referring to the toolkit in the red vinyl case.)

lol Jack. Yes, I imagine there are many more in mint condition in the backs of drawers. They wouldn't kick a Swiss Army Knife out of anyone's pocket.:D
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Indeed not! :D :thumbup:
 
Richards is making interessting knives, indeed. I got a black handled Scout Knife by our friend Jack Black several years ago and I keep this one treasured in my "collection". I really like their design that is a little way off from the typical german knife design. But nevertheless a great and useful tool.

Need to get some pics of it... :)
 
Richards knives probably make up half of my collection, but thats because there all family knives. My family must of kept that firm in business.

My great aunts.

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Cracking, it worked.

My dads is the top one. And an identical one below which I found in an antiques shop.

Clj4NYe.jpg


My grandads. Pretty much the same as the one in Blakes photo above.

JFWxXyR.jpg


And my very first knife. Must of been 5 or 6 when I got this?

HQnIa0R.jpg
 
iSaur said:
...
The first knife I ever owned at about age seven (given to me by my father) was like this but with just a single spearpoint blade, no tools. I'm pretty sure it was a Richards because all the shell-handled knives sold in Canada at the time seem to have been Richards. They actually weren't bad. ...
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Popular shell-handled knives in Canada and Britain, inexpensive but good quality … Were Richards knives the Imperials of the Empire? (Or, taking another perspective, were Imperials the Richards knives of the US?)

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Were Richards knives the Imperials of the Empire? (Or, taking another perspective, were Imperials the Richards knives of the US?) - GT
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I think that's a fair analogy (well, if you replace "Empire" with "Commonwealth" ;)). In some cases I think there may have been, if not outright copying, at least some cross-pollination. A few months ago someone posted an Imperial that was nearly an identical clone of this jack that I posted earlier. It had the same short clip on the master blade and the same serpentine handle. Only the celluloid covers were different.
 
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Great that you have all those family knives Donn :thumbup:

Humppa said:
Richards is making interessting knives, indeed. I got a black handled Scout Knife by our friend Jack Black several years ago and I keep this one treasured in my "collection". I really like their design that is a little way off from the typical german knife design. But nevertheless a great and useful tool.
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That's nice Andi :) Richards actually had their roots in Solingen, and were established by Stephen Richartz, who came to Sheffield in the 30's :thumbup:

5K Qs said:
Popular shell-handled knives in Canada and Britain, inexpensive but good quality … Were Richards knives the Imperials of the Empire? (Or, taking another perspective, were Imperials the Richards knives of the US?)
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Both Richards and Imperial made the clamshell under license, as the patent was owned by Ernst Lohr and Otto Stiehl in Germany. Imperial acquired Richards in 1977, but by 1983 they were bankrupt. Their factory was demolished in the mid 1980's (I have a photo during demolition which I'll edit in when I find it!)

Another member here has a lovely old Richards catologue, and kindly sent me this artist's impression for when the factory was commissioned.

 
By coincidence, I picked up one of the Richards tool kit knives, though quite different to the one above, this morning :)
 
iSaur said:
I think that's a fair analogy (well, if you replace "Empire" with "Commonwealth" ;)). In some cases I think there may have been, if not outright copying, at least some cross-pollination. A few months ago someone posted an Imperial that was a nearly an identical clone of this jack that I posted earlier. It had the same short clip on the master blade and the same serpentine handle. Only the celluloid covers were different.
...
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Thanks, iSaur! :thumbup: I knew "Empire" was wrong, but felt obligated to use it for the "Imperial" connection. ;) (Besides, I doubt if I'd have come up with "Commonwealth" on my own. :()

Jack Black said:
... Richards actually had their roots in Solingen, and were established by Stephen Richartz, who came to Sheffield in the 30's :thumbup:
Both Richards and Imperial made the clamshell under license, as the patent was owned by Ernst Lohr and Otto Stiehl in Germany. Imperial acquired Richards in 1977, but by 1983 they were bankrupt. Their factory was demolished in the mid 1980's (I have a photo during demolition which I'll edit in when I find it!)
...
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Thanks for the very interesting additional information, Jack! :thumbup::thumbup:

- GT
 
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