I have an old lobster too! It's a 1900-1945 Hen and Rooster that I found at the flea market for one dollar. Funny thing is that I had gone the day before, passed up on another knife (70's Case, can't remember the pattern number but it was a large, single blade slip joint "folding hunter" style) and was kicking myself within minutes of leaving. So I went back the next day and didn't see the Case anywhere, and right as I was getting ready to give up, I just happened to peek inside a tray of random junk that a guy had tucked way in the back corner of his space.
I spotted the pearl handles first, then looked it over and saw that it was a Hen and Rooster. I'm fairly new to traditional knives and the only thing I knew about the brand was that it is indeed a traditional brand. I held it up and asked "how much" without much thought, but I just happened to hold it the right way, and the guy said "Because of the chip, just one dollar".
When I got home I looked up a tang stamp chart and was surprised to learn how old it was! Quite a lot happened in Germany between 1900 and 1945, and if I had to guess I would say that it was made in the earlier part of that range since I doubt they were making pocket knives for Americans during the two world wars.
This little knife has the BEST nail file of any knife or clippers I've ever owned. The teeth on the file are very sharp and deep, much like the good files we use in jewelry classes at my school. The fit and finish overall are quite impressive, considering that everything was done "the hard way" back then and there was no internet to facilitate the kind of nit-picking we're used to today.
I must admit that I'm a bit afraid to carry it. I've been getting better, but I still lose or break about one knife per year, and I really don't want it to be this one. I have considered getting a similar knife to carry instead, but I would want a nearly exact matching pattern, and even then it's just not the same.
