The Honourable East India Company (ie, John Company)

beoram

beoram

Joined
Nov 27, 2001
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I ran across a brilliant sword (not a khuk) on eBay, a East India Company officer's sword, with their logo & HM Queen Victoria's cypher:

britinfeic1.jpg


britinfeic.jpg


wish we could see the blade, but it's way out of my price range anyway, but maybe someone would be interested: British Officers Sword, the Honourable East India Company

By the bye, the HEIC still exists and appears to be a powerful company still and they even have an interesting website @: http://www.theeastindiacompany.com/index.html

B.
 
By the bye, the HEIC still exists and appears to be a powerful company still
Click to expand...

It's not the original company-that was wound up in the nineteenth century. Some enterprising persons have aquired the name and trademarks and used them to create a new company.

It isnt an unusual practice in the UK. A good example would be Sheffield cutlery firm names and trademarks.

For hundreds of years different firms have aquired the names and marks of rivals that went out of business. Joseph Rodgers and George Wostenholm for example merged in the 1970's, were bought by Imperial Cutlery, ( Schrade used the I*XL trademark for a time on Sheffield made knives that they marketed ), and the trademarks are now owned by the Eggington Group of companies, ( along with the other noted name of Ibberson ).

These modern knives bear the famous names and trademarks but have no direct connection to the the famous companies of old.
 
Originally posted by mjjbecker


It's not the original company-that was wound up in the nineteenth century. Some enterprising persons have aquired the name and trademarks and used them to create a new company.
Click to expand...

I didn't think the HEIC had survived into the 20th century...but then I stumbled across that website. I notice that they are a trading company still.

Cheers for the info, Ben.
 
You're welcome. It seems to be a common ploy in these parts to use old names to bolster newer or untried enterprises.
 
Oh, yes. An old English practice. Anyone can buy up old trademarks and re-use them. Personally I dont like it. You end up with companies trading on reputations they didn't earn.

The Rodgers/Wostenholm case is a perfect example. The original knives were among the best in the world: the present knives are cheap, mass produced and totally unworthy of the names they bear.
 
Go into the supermarkets and you will find displays of name brand watches being pushed about every 3 months. Waltham for one, Elgin, Benrus, many other famous names you haven't heard of lately including some newer designer labels- to many to list. All marked with appropriately high prices in the range they would be if they were made by the original company. Hundred and fifty to Three hundred marked down to $25 bucks. Most made with non-standard band styles that can't be replaced when the band goes. All made on the cheap in China. Three dollar movements in a fancy plated pot metal case. Ever hear the phase "hotter than a two dollar pistol"? It didn't mean stolen, it meant put together so loosely a couple cylinders of ammo heated them up so hot you couldn't hold them.

Think of Windlass Cutlery which now owns Atlanta Cutlery and Museum Replicas. Some of what they put out is worth the price. The khukuris they tout, however, give the khuk a bad name, right Uncle?

P.S.: The Hudson's Bay company is supposedly still in existence, but you can get the same stuff from Spiegel's catalog if THEY are still around. Forget axes, real blankets, and so on.
 
I've seen the watch scam over here:mad:

Still, I think a person would be a touch foolish to fall for it.

Caveat Emptor!
 
The cheap, mass produced "genuine" khukuris made in India that have been around for years presented the greatest challenge HI had to overcome.
 
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