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Colonel Coon Knife Collector's Guide

The Early Years

Colonel Coon Knives were made by Adrain A. Harris, Mr. Harris started making fixed blade knives as a hobby in the 60's, in 1976 he became the only authorized field repairman in the U.S. for Schrade, a few months later he became the only authorized repairman for Kissing Crane and J.A. Henckels in the United States, in 1978 he founded Tennessee Knife Works Inc.in his home town of Columbia, Tenn. and began making Colonel Coon Knives the old style a true bench made or handmade pocket knife, In 1980 he devised his own chemical milling process for custom etching the blades, along with this he developed a packaging process which included a hinged paper box which is still being used today. By offering this packaging system and custom etching to knife dealers this help start the trend of " the commemorative knife ". In 1988 he sold his manufacturing processes to W.R Case & Sons and retired.

Extra special thanks to yerout for contributing the above information.

The Comeback

In 2006, Smokey Mountain Knife Works purchased the Colonel Coon name and the brand was soon reintroduced. The more recent Colonel Coon Knives are factory manufactured models that come out of the Queen factory under license by SMKW.

Below you will find information & resources specific to Colonel Coon brand pocketknives:

Colonel coon Knife Image Gallery This link will bring you to AAPK's Colonel Coon specific image gallery. Be sure to upload any pictures you feel might be of interest to others.
Colonel Coon Knife Discussion Board This link will bring you to AAPK's Colonel Coon knife Collector specific discussion forum. It's a great place for Colonel Coon knife collectors to share pictures & information. It's also a fantastic resource if you seek info about this brand.
Colonel Coon Knives for sale This link will bring you to all of the Colonel Coon knives AAPK members have available for sale. Check back often as you will find new knives added regularly.