That's what I thought.I think the same facilities were used while Coleman owned them and alot of the same knives/patterns were continued along with some new knives like this.
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Why are these Western Cutlery Knives Vin. 1980 so pricey?
- Thread starter warman
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$567.42 to be exact, for a CF & S90V Manix 2. I'll sell him my slightly used one for $400!
It didnt take the empty suits at Coleman very long to ruin a good American knife Company. Someone decided one day to fire a long time employee so they wouldnt have to pay him his pension coming up in the near future. It turned out that this was the guy who oversaw all the tempering of the blades. The problem was that there wasnt anyone left in the company who knew how to do it. True story! When Coleman bought Western they where selling about 4 million knives annually. They managed to lose 75% of the sales before the rights to the Western brand where auctioned off to Camillus.
Warman, Is there a letter stamped on the blade of the folder in the picture you posted? From the color of the box I'm guessing it would be M,N, or O.
Warman, Is there a letter stamped on the blade of the folder in the picture you posted? From the color of the box I'm guessing it would be M,N, or O.
First time on any type of forum for me, and I was so impressed by the knowledge and comments that I had to join.
I accidentally stumbled onto this forum when I was browsing around to find info on where I can buy Western Bowie Knife for my daughter, I have the W49 H that I purchased in mid 1980. Two of my daughters and I are avid outdoors people that frequently camp the interior of Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada. Have always brought my Bowie for all these excursions and my daughters have always wanted one like mine. Didn't realize that that I've been cutting paths in the bush with a vintage collectors instead of hanging it from the wall. None the less, knife is still in "like new condition" and will probably continue bringing it alone on future trips. Didn't realize the deep history behind this knife of mine and have a new appreciation for it. Any tips or advise on how to get a hold of another (without giving up an arm) would be appreciated.
I accidentally stumbled onto this forum when I was browsing around to find info on where I can buy Western Bowie Knife for my daughter, I have the W49 H that I purchased in mid 1980. Two of my daughters and I are avid outdoors people that frequently camp the interior of Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada. Have always brought my Bowie for all these excursions and my daughters have always wanted one like mine. Didn't realize that that I've been cutting paths in the bush with a vintage collectors instead of hanging it from the wall. None the less, knife is still in "like new condition" and will probably continue bringing it alone on future trips. Didn't realize the deep history behind this knife of mine and have a new appreciation for it. Any tips or advise on how to get a hold of another (without giving up an arm) would be appreciated.
Western W49's can be easily found by doing a search on ebay. Just type in "Western Bowie" or "Western W49" and, voila! They will appear. The ones that are guard marked or blade marked as being made in Boulder, Colorado will usually command the higher prices. As will the ones that are similarly marked "Bowie" on the blade or guard. The last year that the Western Bowie W49 was produced in Boulder was 1977. That is also the first year that the alphabetical dating code was implemented, beginning with the letter "A." In 1978 the Company moved to Longmont, CO. and the letter "B" denotes the first year of production in the new facility. In 1984 the company became Coleman/Western. The letters continue on through 1991 when the company was sold in auction to Camillus and moved to New York. The lettering system was discontinued under Camillus with the last letter being an "O," for 1991 (I have never personally seen an O). See this thread for a more extensive discussion and pictures: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1072453-Western-Bowie-any-info-appreciated?highlight=bowie Camillus closed its doors in 2007 and these knives are no longer produced.
You should be able to get a good one for around $100, especially if you're just looking for a user. Good luck!
You should be able to get a good one for around $100, especially if you're just looking for a user. Good luck!
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Semi-off topic, but how can you tell which W49s are stainless? I'm shopping around for the same knife myself & this is the one piece of info I haven't dug up yet.
These Camillus knives seem to be holding their value.View attachment 395960
Western did make a version of the Bowie in stainless steel for a few years starting in 1968 and going into the very early seventies. They had a delrin handle and were stock number 649. When you do find those they tend to go for about double of the W49's.
When Camillus started making the W49 they still used carbon steel for the blade. By 1996 the Camillus catalog described them as being made with Stainless steel. I read somewhere that they used 420 stainless. Similar to the steel used in U.S. Government contract M9 bayonets. Maybe someone from the factory will remember for sure. I'm not sure that the knives can easily be ID'ed as stainless or not. I do think that some of the Camillus made knives had a more polished finish to the blade like the Western, and Coleman/Western knives and others had a more brushed satin finish. Don't know if that would be a clue as to the steel type.
When Camillus started making the W49 they still used carbon steel for the blade. By 1996 the Camillus catalog described them as being made with Stainless steel. I read somewhere that they used 420 stainless. Similar to the steel used in U.S. Government contract M9 bayonets. Maybe someone from the factory will remember for sure. I'm not sure that the knives can easily be ID'ed as stainless or not. I do think that some of the Camillus made knives had a more polished finish to the blade like the Western, and Coleman/Western knives and others had a more brushed satin finish. Don't know if that would be a clue as to the steel type.
Hello. First posting on forum. I inherited from my dad this (I believe) Western BSA knife. I know he purchased it from the Boy Scout store approximately 1975. Can anyone tell me anything about it? It has a horn material instead of stacked leather for the handle and the blade is 4.25" (total length is 8.5".) It says "Western USA" on the brass guard and "Official Boy Scouts of America" on one side of the blade; the other side has the BSA logo. Aluminum butt cap.
Can anyone help me? Thanks. I'm working on polishing the blade to remove the discoloring.
Can anyone help me? Thanks. I'm working on polishing the blade to remove the discoloring.