Zippo/Case money clip?

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

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Aug 4, 2013
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This Zippo branded (money clip?), was gifted to me today. It says zippo and bradford Pa on both the nail file and knife blade. Wonder if zippo made such things prior to owning case?
 
My friend, that gave it to me, said it is likely 20 or more yrs old. He said a person that worked for a firm that made surveying equipment gave it to him... a Swedish firm, I think he said?
 
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I've long suspected that Zippo might've had some knives made by Camillus, in some years past. Even some Case-branded knives were contract-made by Camillus at some times. Don't know whether Zippo got into knives before their acquisition of Case, but it wouldn't surprise me if they've at least sourced from more than one manufacturer over the years.

This is a Zippo lockback gifted to me from a buddy, when both of us were in the Navy back in the '80s. The pattern is very similar to a Camillus-branded version that's been widely available for years. This one was given to me around '86.


David
 
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PocketKnifeJimmy said:
My friend, that gave it to me, said it is likely 20 or more yrs old. He said a person that worked for a firm that made surveying equipment gave it to him... a Swedish firm, I think he said?
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K&E is Keuffel & Esser Co. I have an old K&E slide rule that I used when I was studying Electrical Engineering a few years back. A few years...yeah right! A few decades maybe. It's marked Made in USA.
 
PocketKnifeJimmy said:
My friend, that gave it to me, said it is likely 20 or more yrs old. He said a person that worked for a firm that made surveying equipment gave it to him... a Swedish firm, I think he said?
Click to expand...

Keuffel and Esser was an American firm which made surveying equipment. Slide rules were an ancillary line, but K&E was one of the premier producers of them. (You needed a slide rule to perform the surveying calculations. Lots of trig calcs.) They were one of the first companies to go to decimal degree trig scales instead of using trig scales marked in degrees and minutes.
 
I'd like to thank Jimmy for generously sending this Zippo to me for my collection! It's actually my first Zippo money clip knife too, so I am much obliged.

Thanks again Jimmy!
Griff
 
zippofan said:
I'd like to thank Jimmy for generously sending this Zippo to me for my collection! It's actually my first Zippo money clip knife too, so I am much obliged.

Thanks again Jimmy!
Griff
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Thats was very nice of Jimmy :thumbup:

I don't think I've ever seen one. I may have passed by one at the NKCA shows I used to often go to, but can't remember seeing one.

Glad to see it get in the hands of a huge Zippo fan:thumbup:
 
I have a Zippo money clip / file / knife that my friend gave to me 33 years ago.
It was brand new at the time and has the same stampings as yours on the blade and file.
 
Here's one I picked up at a flea market years ago! Me being an absolute zippo nut, I had to have it! Kinda ties my lighter and knife collection together!
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I carried a Zippo Cut About lockback for quite awhile until I got involved with Scouting and thought I needed a little more on camping trips. That led to SAKs, which eventually led me here :thumbup:
I still have it, it's now a Sunday/suit knife as it is small and unobtrusive. I have "Windy" handles (Zippo advertising pin up icon) on another Cut About but that is in one of my Zippo displays. Up until now they were my only Zippo knives.
 
Crazy odd coincidence! I am in NC visiting my Mom and Dad. My Mom is a retired antique dealer and a collector of many things. Going through a box in the garage I find that same Zippo knife (w/o money clip) and a matching tape measure which also has the Zippo name on the tape. Both have the brand; Arturo Sauce. I think my grandfather got it when he was either a grocery store manager or a grocery supply salesman.
 
Zippo still makes a lot of advertisers, though I'm sure business isn't like it used to be. As a kid, I remember Dad having a drawer full of advertising lighters, back then everyone gave them away, even mom and pop places.
A few businesses had special ones made for awards, safety awards for heavy industry were popular, like railroads. Their knives, tape measures and pillboxes weren't as popular but still used as advertisers, as my new/old money clip knife proves. I know collectors that specialize in just those kinds of Zippos, while my collection is all over the place, if I like it I go looking for one :D
 
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