Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

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Miller Bro's
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

TJ,

That lighter is well done ::nod::

The date on your lighter and the date of my stamp are from the same time period 8)
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by tjmurphy »

Thanks Dimitri - If you're interested in such nonsense here are two more from WWI. The first with the rooster or cock and is dated 1916 and on the reverse is a cannon with a 75 on the barrel. The second depicts a doeboy piercing the German Eagle with a flag staff and on the reverse the American Eagle. This one also has a French tax stamp on the bottom of it (couldn't get a good pic of the stamp).
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Owd Wullie »

The "French 75" was a real step forward in artillery.
Cutting edge in it's day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_de_7 ... %A8le_1897

And there's that Bleriot again. LOL
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by ea42 »

What an incredible thread! Thank's for starting it up Dimitri ::tu:: ::tu::

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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by gringo »

http://www.google.com/images?q=Bleriot& ... CDYQsAQwAw

third column, bottom... clearly the design of the airframe on dies and lighter, is not a bleriot.

the airship on the trench art is not a zeppelin, but a blimp. need an airframe to be a zeppelin.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

TJ,

Those are real nice lighters ::tu::

Don`t they call them "Trench Art" lighters??

I have a round one like that somewhere from WW I that is German and has "Got Mit Uns" on the front side.

Thanks for showing them ::nod::

Eric,

Glad you like the thread! :D
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by tjmurphy »

Hey Dimitri - Yep, they call them "Trench Art" but I really don't think that that is a good description. Trench art is something usually done free-hand in the trenches or fox-holes, where you might cut an artillery shell down and make an ash-tray, and then decorate it to suit you. My step-father made a silver ring from a silver dollar. Continually tapped around the edge of the coin with a spoon until it balloned out, then removed the center section. That's trench art. These are definately manufactured. I had one of the "Gott Mit Uns" (God with us) but sold it a while ago. There were also Gott Mit Uns belt buckles and match safes. I'm currently selling out my lighter collection to support my knife addiction.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

tjmurphy wrote:I'm currently selling out my lighter collection to support my knife addiction.
:o :shock: ::tu:: :lol:

Somehow, I think your gonna like knives much better :wink:
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by churchill25 »

Really interesting to see...
It would be interesting to see the dies in action.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

churchill25 wrote:It would be interesting to see the dies in action.
Yes it would! The only problem is you have to have two of these a positive and negative. If you look at the ones I posted you will notice some the design is raised above the steel block and some are recessed below the block. You need the two of them to stamp out a sheet, unfortunately for me I only have one or the other ::dang::

I have a 40 ton press that could press these out like nothing. They would be interesting to view pressed out on a piece of brass or nickle silver stock, even copper would work ::nod::
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

Here is another one.

This one depicts Kansas City Missouri, I don`t know what the buildings are, anyone know?


Has to be someone else out there with some of these, come on guys break them out :lol:
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Mason »

Miller Bros. and I were talking recently and he mentioned this neat thread on stamped metal handled knives which I had not seen. Great topic and some good responses and input from others. Here is a shot from a Pre WW I German cutlery catalog which shows some similar stamped metal handled knives. These German knives were meant for local sales as well as export and #2106 depicts the "U.S. Congregational Library". Also included is knife from the ad which shows "Graf Zepplin". The blade stamp is "Omega Solingen" (Joseph Feist) but it was more than likely a contract knife. Thanks for this interesting thread M.B.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

That`s awesome! Thanks for posting the page.

Here is an unused handle, it is an exact match for #2102 of your catalog :D

Maybe you can find the top one with the horses ::hmm::
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by btrwtr »

Awesome post I had not seen. Thanks for getting it back up for us to enjoy.

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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Mason »

Miller Bro`s wrote:That`s awesome! Thanks for posting the page.

Here is an unused handle, it is an exact match for #2102 of your catalog :D

Maybe you can find the top one with the horses ::hmm::
Thanks, and here are your horses. :)
This is from a different German knife catalog, 1908 "Gottlieb Hammesfahr". Note that the caption says "Bronze" as your handles appear to be.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Mason »

btrwtr wrote:Awesome post I had not seen. Thanks for getting it back up for us to enjoy.

Wayne
M.B. certainly comes up with some interesting topics.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

Mason wrote: Also included is knife from the ad which shows "Graf Zepplin". The blade stamp is "Omega Solingen" (Joseph Feist) but it was more than likely a contract knife.
Does your knife have the same "Graf Zepplin" handle on both sides?
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Mason »

Miller Bro`s wrote:
Mason wrote: Also included is knife from the ad which shows "Graf Zepplin". The blade stamp is "Omega Solingen" (Joseph Feist) but it was more than likely a contract knife.
Does your knife have the same "Graf Zepplin" handle on both sides?
No, the back side shows some people looking up at a Zeppelin airship. There were several models and variations of the Zeppelins and the model shown on the knife handle is the "LZ-3" which was introduced in 1907. The airship picture is fairly small on the handle but has great detail when looking at it through a loop. These old German stamped metal handled knives had beautiful artwork and were quite well made.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

Thanks! ::tu::
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

Thanks to my friend Tom, I now have these knife handles :D

They are uncut just the way they would be after stamping, then the edges would have been trimmed off and holes drilled.

I love the bat handle! 8)
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by b1k3hobo »

Miller Bro`s wrote:Here is another one.

This one depicts Kansas City Missouri, I don`t know what the buildings are, anyone know?


Has to be someone else out there with some of these, come on guys break them out :lol:
That building is the Kansas City Union Station, 3/4 view from the front-left side. The Station opened in 1914 and still stands. The rather impressive Liberty Memorial to WWI which is about 400 meters away is not portrayed on the handle die - it was completed in 1926. I'd say the knife was prior to that date.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Beechtree »

This is an interesting thread and this die belongs here. I have no idea of the origins of this lovely lady, possibly German as they seem to have been the most prolific of stamped pattern handles.
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

Nice one thanks for showing it ::tu::
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Beechtree »

I wish I had a whole bunch to show, but alas, these seem to be pretty few and far between. I did come across a brittania type cutlery handle die for a dinner knife the other day, but at $90 I was not about to purchase it. If it had been a pocket knife die, I would have been much more tempted :wink:
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Re: Antique Pocket Knife Handle Dies

Post by Miller Bro's »

These certainly don't come up very often and I agree if they are pocket knife related they are much more desirable.

I did find several more of these since I started this thread so someday when I get set up to take pictures again I will post more. One thing I did buy last year was a salesman's sample case of all the different engine turned metal handle die designs they offered for pocket knives :D
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