I was born into a city awash with pocket knives, and as I was the first-born of my generation within my family, knives were put aside for me from my birth. Strangely, the first knife I was given was not made in Sheffield, it was a Nepalese Khukri, which my favourite uncle had brought back from his time in the Navy. My mother thought it should stay at my grandparents, (where my uncle lived), until I was a little older, but I carried it around when staying with them, attached to my Snake belt. At my parents house, there were two pocket knives which were always mine, given to me by the same uncle I think. I don't remember much about the larger of the two, except that it had black covers, and I wasn't yet strong enough to open it. I think it was a 2-blade Jack. The other smaller knife was made at the Richards factory in Sheffield, where my dad worked when I was very young. It had a patinaed blade, worn from being sharpened on curb stones, and a secondary accessory blade with a bottle-opener and screwdriver. On the mark side cover of the knife, there was a colourful picture of a Native American warrior on horseback, with a feathered headdress and lance. Underneath the picture, in script, were the words
Little Chief.
On a summer evening in 1968, when I was 7, I went out to play with some school friends who lived half a mile or so down the road, and I slipped the
Little Chief in the pocket of my shorts. I've carried a pocket knife ever since.
I'm always filled with wonder when members here post pics of their first knife. I'm not sure what happened to my
Little Chief. Most likely, I gave it away to my younger brother or another kid, when I got a 'better' knife. There were knives all over in Sheffield in those days, particularly the cheap Richards knives, they had virtually no value, and why would anyone want more than one?
Over the years, I've handled tens of thousands of Sheffield knives, probably more than that in fact, but I've never come across another
Little Chief.
Then, a few months back, in a junk shop, in a small West Yorkshire market town, I came across this knife.
I quickly realised that this knife was of the same pattern as my
Little Chief, and from the same series. In fact, it had been specifically marketed as a Boy's Knife. I'd always thought that the point on my knife had been blunted from use, from all those games of 'Splits' (or Mumblety Peg), but in fact it was sold like that. The plastic lanyard had also gone long ago.
It's nice to be able to join a few dots about the first pocket-knife I carried, but I still hope I'll find another
Little Chief one day
Hoping it's going to sharpen up OK, as I don't think it's been sharpened since it left the factory, and is blunt as a butter-knife - perhaps just as well with my recent track record! 
I like the patina the brass built over time. However, I can understand the desire to get rid of the verdigris. Many of my stainless knives show almost NO marks from usage, especially when careless sharpening is absent. Stainless/Carbon; each has it's pros and cons. Glad you were able to get the edge tuned up.
