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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Your Oldest Traditional Knife
- Thread starter WhittlinAway
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2007
- Messages
- 91
Imperial Pilots Knife. Not sure of the date of mfgr. recovered from a wrecked A-24 in the Spring or early Summer of 1942, Australia.
Unsigned. Not sure of the date on this one either.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2012
- Messages
- 381
This is by far my oldest knife. I believe it's from the 50s. Could be off. Picked it up at a favorite antique mall a while back.
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2001
- Messages
- 32,354
Let's start with the oldest, mid 1800s Josef Sziraki Sleeveboard Lobster in Pearl with NS fittings. I got this at the first estate auction I went to and I carried it and used it for nearly 25 years before a member here sent me the history of the knifemaker. I'ts so well made that after almost 200 years it still walks and talks like a brand new knife. It takes and keeps a razor edge and always get put into service on occasions where I get dressed up.
Union Knifeworks Moose, 1911-1912. I either bought this at a flea market for a couple of $ or found it in a tool box either way it was covered in paint and rust with a broken blade. I cleaned it up and reground the broken blade into a box cutter. This old girl cuts like a teenager. She'll out cut any Modern production blade out there.
Also about 100 years+ Bastian Bros Knives. Another one that I bought for cheap only to find out 20 some years later it was an old valuable knife. Still it cuts like a fazor, takes an easy edge and keeps it so it gets regular pocket time. It also comes with a long story about how my detective work led me to it's age based on the coined covers.
I love advertising knives, there's always so much variety in patterns and quality to make it interesting to collect. Above is a knife for the Good Roads Machinery Company they were in business with that name from 1892-1907.
Good Roads Machinery Company patented the "American Champion," the first four-wheeled pull grader, in 1877. It was reorganized under the American Road Machine Company name in 1889 after opening plants in Delphos, Ohio, as well as Groton and Marathon, New York.
The Good Roads Machinery Company was organized as the firm's sales branch, and Good Roads became the brand name under which the equipment, which included graders, rollers and rock crushers, was manufactured, although the American Champion name was continued for graders. The Good Roads name was a direct allusion to the Good Roads movement, under which dirt farm roads throughout the United States were being improved for automobile traffic.
The firm expanded into Canada in 1888, and the Copp Brothers firm of Hamilton, Ontario, gained sole licensing rights for American Champion graders in Canada in 1892. John Challen, the manager of Copp Brothers, bought the company out in 1896 and renamed it Good Roads Machinery Company, not to be confused with the sales agents of the same name for American Road Machinery. Challen's firm failed in 1907, and he became a salesman for American Road Machinery, which apparently acquired the firm's assets.
A new group of investors bought the former Challen firm in 1908 and reorganized it as Canadian Road Machine Company Ltd., and this firm also failed and was reacquired by American Road Machinery in 1909 as American Road Machinery of Canada.
New & Used Heavy Equipment http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Good_Roads_Machinery_Company#ixzz3JxLCPOTs
There was no tang stamp but on the corner of the stamped handles were the name Bastian Bros Co. Rochester NY. Here's a little history on them, seems like they started their company around the same time. Robeson was contacted to make the knives while they stamped the handles.
history on the stamp Bastian Bros Co Rochester NY...
Bastian Company Profile
Bastian Company was founded in 1895 and was incorporated as Bastian Brothers Company initially operating as a jewelry store. Shortly after it’s founding, Bastian Brothers became one of the first firms in Rochester, New York to become a Union Shop and continues today to be a totally unionized firm. Within a short period of time, the firm became known for its custom recognition and award products and underwent a rapid expansion. Soon after moving into a larger facility, Bastian expanded its sales and marketing efforts to eventually cover the entire United States and today has numerous customers located outside the United States.
Since 1895, Bastian Company has been recognized internationally for its quality, craftsmanship, and integrity in the production of emblematic jewelry, lapel pins, medallions, belt buckles, paperweights, key tags, convention badges, police-security-firemen badges and insignia, and automotive decorative emblems.
Bastian Company’s die cutters (tool makers) can reproduce a concept into an embossing die that will provide the clarity, sharpness and definition of detail you expect in the finished product. In each and every step of the very labor intensive die striking, enameling, polishing, finishing and plating procedures our employees build integrity and quality into every Bastian Company product.
In December of 2003, Bastian Company acquired the assets of CRDL Inc. and moved all equipment and operations from the CRDL plant in California to the Bastian plant. CRDL invented and patented magnetic sculptures and today offers more than 300 designs to select from. With the move to the Bastian plant, CRDL magnetic sculptures are now union made along with all Bastian products.
Not bad for a $10 flea market find.
Union Knifeworks Moose, 1911-1912. I either bought this at a flea market for a couple of $ or found it in a tool box either way it was covered in paint and rust with a broken blade. I cleaned it up and reground the broken blade into a box cutter. This old girl cuts like a teenager. She'll out cut any Modern production blade out there.
Also about 100 years+ Bastian Bros Knives. Another one that I bought for cheap only to find out 20 some years later it was an old valuable knife. Still it cuts like a fazor, takes an easy edge and keeps it so it gets regular pocket time. It also comes with a long story about how my detective work led me to it's age based on the coined covers.
I love advertising knives, there's always so much variety in patterns and quality to make it interesting to collect. Above is a knife for the Good Roads Machinery Company they were in business with that name from 1892-1907.
Good Roads Machinery Company patented the "American Champion," the first four-wheeled pull grader, in 1877. It was reorganized under the American Road Machine Company name in 1889 after opening plants in Delphos, Ohio, as well as Groton and Marathon, New York.
The Good Roads Machinery Company was organized as the firm's sales branch, and Good Roads became the brand name under which the equipment, which included graders, rollers and rock crushers, was manufactured, although the American Champion name was continued for graders. The Good Roads name was a direct allusion to the Good Roads movement, under which dirt farm roads throughout the United States were being improved for automobile traffic.
The firm expanded into Canada in 1888, and the Copp Brothers firm of Hamilton, Ontario, gained sole licensing rights for American Champion graders in Canada in 1892. John Challen, the manager of Copp Brothers, bought the company out in 1896 and renamed it Good Roads Machinery Company, not to be confused with the sales agents of the same name for American Road Machinery. Challen's firm failed in 1907, and he became a salesman for American Road Machinery, which apparently acquired the firm's assets.
A new group of investors bought the former Challen firm in 1908 and reorganized it as Canadian Road Machine Company Ltd., and this firm also failed and was reacquired by American Road Machinery in 1909 as American Road Machinery of Canada.
New & Used Heavy Equipment http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Good_Roads_Machinery_Company#ixzz3JxLCPOTs
There was no tang stamp but on the corner of the stamped handles were the name Bastian Bros Co. Rochester NY. Here's a little history on them, seems like they started their company around the same time. Robeson was contacted to make the knives while they stamped the handles.
history on the stamp Bastian Bros Co Rochester NY...
Bastian Company Profile
Bastian Company was founded in 1895 and was incorporated as Bastian Brothers Company initially operating as a jewelry store. Shortly after it’s founding, Bastian Brothers became one of the first firms in Rochester, New York to become a Union Shop and continues today to be a totally unionized firm. Within a short period of time, the firm became known for its custom recognition and award products and underwent a rapid expansion. Soon after moving into a larger facility, Bastian expanded its sales and marketing efforts to eventually cover the entire United States and today has numerous customers located outside the United States.
Since 1895, Bastian Company has been recognized internationally for its quality, craftsmanship, and integrity in the production of emblematic jewelry, lapel pins, medallions, belt buckles, paperweights, key tags, convention badges, police-security-firemen badges and insignia, and automotive decorative emblems.
Bastian Company’s die cutters (tool makers) can reproduce a concept into an embossing die that will provide the clarity, sharpness and definition of detail you expect in the finished product. In each and every step of the very labor intensive die striking, enameling, polishing, finishing and plating procedures our employees build integrity and quality into every Bastian Company product.
In December of 2003, Bastian Company acquired the assets of CRDL Inc. and moved all equipment and operations from the CRDL plant in California to the Bastian plant. CRDL invented and patented magnetic sculptures and today offers more than 300 designs to select from. With the move to the Bastian plant, CRDL magnetic sculptures are now union made along with all Bastian products.
Not bad for a $10 flea market find.
tongueriver
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2007
- Messages
- 5,202
delete
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2014
- Messages
- 7,462
The oldest I have is this Valley Forge - made between 1905-1916 (IIRC)
r8shell
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 25,256
A hundred year old Bareheaded Ebony Jack. My kryptonite!The oldest I have is this Valley Forge - made between 1905-1916 (IIRC)
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2011
- Messages
- 15,193
Dolphin Cutlery Co
C. 1918-1920
C. 1918-1920
WhittlinAway
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2016
- Messages
- 2,541
Fascinating blade, Gev. Do you know its purpose?
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2011
- Messages
- 15,193
Nail file/ cleaner. They come in many variations and I have a bunch and always looking for more. This one has two groove files on one side and a more usual perpendicular cut file on the other side. The shape of the cuticle pusher/ nail cleaner is quite a nice design.
