Vintage Hen & Rooster!!!

[pipedreams308]

Great mail day for me today. I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new EDC pocket knife -a mint Hen & Rooster/Gutmann Congress. I suppose that this would be considered one of my "grail" knives. I got it off the 'bay for what I consider a fair price.

As soon as the mail man cleared the box I grabbed my iPhone (for pics) and headed for the picnic table to preserve this moment for posterity. The faithful GEC #25 along to do the opening honors.

Well packed by the seller. The suspense was killin' me!

Love at first sight! My wife said I looked like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Holy cow! The blades feel like they are mounted on ball bearings. Fit and finish is absolutely perfect. Polished like a mirror inside. Gorgeous stag. Just WOW! I couldn't be more pleased with this knife.

I'd love to see some of your favorite Hen & Roosters, as well as your favorite Congresses.

 

[pipedreams308]

Pic in the sunshine. Pardon the tape goop on the blade.

 

[Will Power]

Fantastic:thumbup: I fully share your enthusiasm, that stag is particularly alluring and the overall look of the knife, sleek. The problem with some Congresses is that they can look unwieldy or bloated, not this one!

I'd be very pleased to get hold of something like that

Could you post approx size, weight please? Is the stag thick of fitted slim?

Only got a modern, well I assume it is, H&R a Small Whittler but it's got some very decent gnarly stag on it .

 

[pipedreams308]

W-
Thanks! The stag is very trim -just right for the svelte look and feel of this knife. She is just a bit under 4". 2.1 oz. on my wife's postal scale.

 

[navihawk]

Nice one Todd.
This Norfork whittler's gone but not forgotten.I like how they polished the insides too.

 

[338375]

Congrats PD. Thats a nice one, and looks nicely finished.
I like Stag that isn't thick

 

[Campbellclanman]

Todd...thanks for taking us through the opening process...I thought that was kinda cool! the hen and rooster looks a beaut!....so does your GEC as well ( is it the photo's or have you given the gec a "forced" patina )...looks great-both of 'em...well done :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[pipedreams308]

Nice one Todd.
This Norfork whittler's gone but not forgotten.I like how they polished the insides too.

Great looking H&R, Steve. I'd sure miss that one.

Congrats PD. Thats a nice one, and looks nicely finished.
I like Stag that isn't thick

Thanks, Mike. I like it trim, too.

Todd...thanks for taking us through the opening process...I thought that was kinda cool! the hen and rooster looks a beaut!....so does your GEC as well ( is it the photo's or have you given the gec a "forced" patina )...looks great-both of 'em...well done :thumbup: :thumbup:

No problem, Duncan. I thought the box opening process would make a fun thread and let you guys share in my excitement a little.

The patina in the #25 is 100% natural. I love GEC's 1095.

 

[jackknife]

Big congrats man!:thumbup::thumbup:

Once you own and carry an original H&R from the old Bertram cousins day, you will be spoiled for fit and finish. You have to go custom today to get that kind of quality. I have an old stockman and a half stockman, and they are habit forming. Smooth as butter on a warm summer day. Even when my hands were giving me a problem, I could open a H&R.

I dare say, after getting used to your new one, the GEC's S&M's, and the rest will feel crude and heavy to you.

Welcome to the club.

Carl.

 

[DennisStrickland]

the last good ones i had were in the 70s. these were probably the last of the premium
cutlery that made it into the 70s. the old factory actually may have lasted till 1980, i do'nt have exact info. i understand that right until the end the old machines were driven by the old timey overhead belts & many by hand steps were still performed.i've owned these knives & it's truly like they open like ball bearings.
dennis

 

[Arathol]

OK, heres a couple

this ones 3 3/8, marked Gutmann Cutlery

this ones 3 5/8, marked Bertram Cutlery

this ones a scout, marked Kane Cutlery, made by Bertram in the early 70s

 

[mckgreg]

Something that might be worth reading. Notice the "very slight changes" in the tang stamps from one era to another. I pull this up on my computer whenever I see a Hen & Rooster for sale that I may be interested in. A pre-Frost H&R will feel completely different in your hand and has a better feel of quality when compared to the ones built under the Frost ownership of the brand. If a tang stamp reads BERTRAM CUTLERY it is not a pre '83. Sometimes that's easier to remember than the minor changes in the chicken stamps.
Greg

 

[pipedreams308]

Big congrats man!:thumbup::thumbup:

I dare say, after getting used to your new one, the GEC's S&M's, and the rest will feel crude and heavy to you.

Welcome to the club.

Carl.

Thanks, Carl. I have no doubt you are correct. This H&R is definitely a refined, precision machine.

the last good ones i had were in the 70s. these were probably the last of the premium
cutlery that made it into the 70s. the old factory actually may have lasted till 1980, i do'nt have exact info. i understand that right until the end the old machines were driven by the old timey overhead belts & many by hand steps were still performed.i've owned these knives & it's truly like they open like ball bearings.
dennis

Sooooo smooth. It's a shame they aren't made that way anymore.

OK, heres a couple

Those are all beauties! Thank you for posting them.

Something that might be worth reading. Notice the "very slight changes" in the tang stamps from one era to another. I pull this up on my computer whenever I see a Hen & Rooster for sale that I may be interested in. A pre-Frost H&R will feel completely different in your hand and has a better feel of quality when compared to the ones built under the Frost ownership of the brand. If a tang stamp reads BERTRAM CUTLERY it is not a pre '83. Sometimes that's easier to remember than the minor changes in the chicken stamps.
Greg

Great read, Greg, thank you. I used a similar chart that I found on another forum when researching this purchase. The stamp on mine is c.1945-1980. BTW, I'm stealing your image for future reference.

 

[Arathol]

Yes, there is a real difference between the knives made before and after 1983. The Gutmann congress and the scout above were made well before 1980, and the quality is markedly better than the Klass built Bertram congress in the center. The newer ones are sometimes even lower quality. Rumor has it some of the Klass knives are outsourced to south eastern Asia.

 

[pipedreams308]

Here are my other 2 "modern H&Rs: My well worn "Longhorn" Cattleman pattern in stag (marked 1994 on the Sheepsfoot). It has great stag that has mellowed nicely. The bottom knife is a "Cattle Rustler" Stockman in super ugly Corelon®.

Neither comes even close to the quality of my Congress.

 

[mckgreg]

One of the things I look for on H&R knives is the shield. If it has the chickens on the shield I consider it to be a knife made under Frost's ownership or the "83 to present" category if that is more comfortable to you . I have never seen anything that would counter my thinking on that. If there is, I would like to know. Something like a legitimate knife with a pre-1983 stamping and a shield that has chickens on it would do. I have never seen one.
Greg

 

[pipedreams308]

Greg-
As an interesting side note, the Stag Cattleman pictured above has a c. '45-'80 chicken tang stamp on the main blade; the reverse of the tang is marked BERTRAM CUTLERY, ROSTFREI, and the model #. The secondary blades both have the c. '83-present tang stamp. The sheepsfoot blade is etched 1994.

Fun stuff.

 

[mckgreg]

Yes it is. Seems like "Mix and Match" is the name of the game for some. You got a close-up of that tang stamp?
Greg

 

[Campbellclanman]

Todd,
I like your "super ugly" rustler....its a pretty "busy" knife..with the engraving, and the fancy shield...but...yep...if that was mine...Im sure it would be flippled into the rotation of users now and then to get it out and seen , this is quite a cool thread...

 

[Mack]

I see now I need to pay more attention when I see the name Hen & Rooster. Very nice. Thanks for opening my eyes.