Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

This forum is dedicated to the discussion and display of old knives. The rich history of all the many companies that made them through the early years will be found here as well as many fine examples of the cutlers art. Share pictures of your old knives and your knowledge here!
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orvet
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by orvet »

Miller Bro`s wrote:Not as much interest in Knife Lore as there was before :( , but I for one miss your posts in this forum ::nod::

I would love to see some of the new items you picked up recently :wink: ::tu::

I miss his posts too Dimitri, so I just call him from time to time.
He has a doozie of a new find he told me about today. I can't wait to see pics.
I can say no more, don't want to spoil his surprise for us! :mrgreen:
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by philco »

Doggoneit Dale............now you got me wondering what's going on.

Can't wait to find out. If it's doozie by LTs standards I'm confident it's a doozie! :wink:
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by Ballenxj »

Miller Bro`s wrote:
Not as much interest in Knife Lore as there was before :(
I love to hear the knife lore stories. My biggest problem lately is finding the time to do so.
I do try to check in from time to time though. 8)
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by lt632ret »

This is a grouping of 8 pristene unused Schrade Cut CO (pre 46) pearl gents knives. They all have the handwritten model numbers which were put on salesmans samples ( in those days with indelible ink ). I was contacted by a seller in the midwest not to long ago about these . While pearl gents knives are fairly plentiful usually they are used or have damaged pearl. Even if they are perfect, salesman samples are even rarer as I am sure most of you know. I have others but these were in one grouping which is quite rare. I usually separate pearls into several groups, damaged which unless really rare, I have repaired however I usually just farm them out. Rare stuff and perfect stuff I have several displays of. I included a couple of pics of those along with the 8 sample knives. Unfortunately the pics do not do justice to the quality and beauty of the pearl partly because of my camera and me, but also because some quality is sacrificed to show the number markings. The custom display case shown in the one pic has other samples as well as some very rare tangs like a pristene pearl Kipsi Kut ulster cat NYK samples ect. However not being able to post everything I choose these 8 and the two displays. The little Schrade display contains NEW Old stock original Schrade Walden 46,72. knives and is quite rare since many of these are larger patterns of which only a few were made. I got those many years ago from an old employee. I also have a small group of pearls with silver and or gold blades but that is another group and do to rarity a small number. I havent had them out in years probably just a couple of the gold ones. They are hard to find. I do not know about the rest of you but since I once wrote a price guide on knives and delve in them. I have an interest in how the market for them is doing. I have found that regular stuff unless pristene is a bit down actually a lot down since Schrade first closed that was to be expected once it was realized how much product of the regular stuff was out there. However it seems to have leveled a bit after bottoming out. Of course part of that is due to the general economy, Older stuff and in the package and especially rare or higher end stuff usually as in most markets holds fairly true. Schrade samples in fact any samples usually bring a premium. prices on unused prestene gents knives examples are usually posted as 250 to 400 but I must say unless the buyer really wants it usually does not bring quite that much. Whatever the price it still does not make them any easier to locate because they ain't making no more not like these and not in this country/ Unfortunately. All ths being said I decided to do this post on these Just a couple of Notes earlier I posted on a small Sheffield automatic whos tang was illegible. ( AS THEY SAY ON TV ) UPDATE Mark Zalensky the editor of knifeworld ( the finest knife publication out there ) informed me that he was familiar with that knife and it was a PERUVIAN PICKSLAY STEEL. You might want to look up the history on the net I found it interesting. Thankyou Mark . Looking around there is a bunch of new stuff but you have to start somewhere and the pearls were the first to catch my eye. LT
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by glennbad »

Rich, those are beauties! Sorry things have been slow with the museum. It'll be that much sweeter when it does get open full time.

Don't be a stranger, eh?

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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by philco »

Those pearls are too nice! Thanks for the pics. ::tu::

Keep up the good work on the museum.


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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by Miller Bro's »

lt632ret wrote:This is a grouping of 8 pristene unused Schrade Cut CO (pre 46) pearl gents knives. They all have the handwritten model numbers which were put on salesmans samples ( in those days with indelible ink ).
Those are great examples ::tu:: Small pearl handle pen knives don`t get much respect from collectors and prices usually reflect this fact. However, the salesman`s sample numbers and condition make those desirable and much more valuable.


lt632ret wrote:The little Schrade display contains NEW Old stock original Schrade Walden 46,72. knives and is quite rare since many of these are larger patterns of which only a few were made. I got those many years ago from an old employee.
Really nice to see these larger patterns, I only have one cattle knife in Pearl from Schrade. I would love to find a Boy Scout knife in Pearl ::drool::

You were lucky to find these all at one time.
lt632ret wrote: ( AS THEY SAY ON TV ) UPDATE Mark Zalensky the editor of knifeworld ( the finest knife publication out there ) informed me that he was familiar with that knife and it was a PERUVIAN PICKSLAY STEEL. You might want to look up the history on the net I found it interesting.
That`s a new one on me, nice to find out who made it.

Looks like they made some nice Razors as well, high quality judging from the blade grind and acid etching.

http://cricklepickle.com/pickslay_razors.html
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by wiseguy »

Firstly , Thanks for all that information and secondly OMG !!! What a fantastic read ....i can`t believe what i just saw !!! truly awsome , it left me damn near speachless on the floor . ::tu:: i`m glad to have found this place . ::ds::
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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Over the years I have had several periodicals do articles on the museum project. We recently acquired a new artifact for the museum.

It seems that prior to the the civil war or during it a couple (literaly) or perhapes a few sabres were made for use by the union by the Napanoch Ax and tool company. They were handmade with the makers name and Napanoch location on them . One of these recently appeared in relic condition. Unfortunately the owner was a dealer and had no interest in the historical interest of the piece whose rarity is amazing. Reference could only be found in one reference of extremely rare civil war similar artifacts. Luckily one of our board of directors who is a well known collector remembered the article shown to him 30 years ago by his uncle and depicting the piece in an article in which the author only knew of two such swords. The owner finally parted with the item at a painful price. However since our museum is one block from the original building and since we have an outstanding collection of Napanoch AX items and since that same building later became Napanoch Knife. It was imperative that we do what we had to to get it. After the war Nap turned there knives in to plowshares as it was and produced only tools until they turned there plowshares back into knives as Napanoch knife.

Alrighty that being said the reason I started writing this is because as the first line in this posting denotes articles have been done in the past on our museum project ( which hopefully will be open this late spring. ) While looking for info on Napanoch AX I located one of these articles http://www.gunkjournal.com/2011/08/18/news/1108184.html this is the link to that article if anyone would like to look it up. There is a picture of me which does not look at all like me this fellow is OLD, Fat and looks hung over. I am much better looking however it shows you why I am destined to live alone. Sometimes I scare myself. Oh well when I answer the door the bible people usually flee screaming which i guess is a good thing. Now you know why I let other people try to raise funds for the museum. Oh well my looks were an advantage when I worked in the NYS correctional system. I thought you might find this interesting along with a museum update. The temp control system has been put in the display cases are in, security camera , plus a system of movement and ect alarms. In fact all we need now is to secure more operating funds to insure our being able to support ourselves for at least a year or two. So that we do not assemble and catalogue and correlate the thousands of items only to have to close for lack of operating funds and have to move the items out and then back to do it over again. This has been quite a project and no one knows who will still be here to finish it. It has been a daunting journey 8 years just to get the legislation to display automatics. Then doing all this with virtually no funding. All with just a handful of people who are trying to save this history. Who knows we just keep getting up dusting ourselves off and keep trying. Regards LT. ( The good looking young guy)
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by wlf »

Nice read,I hope I get the opportunity to visit.

I'm thankful to LT ,who took time to respond to an unknown. A courtesy not always found,even on this forum(only twice though)
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by lt632ret »

Hi I try to reply to anyone who contacts me . I see you said only twice if I missed an email it was inadvertant. Thankyou for the nice words on the posting and I look forward to your visiting the museum. Regards LT
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by TripleF »

Great article!

Much respect to you sir! ::nod:: ::tu::
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by orvet »

Thanks Lt! As always, a very informative post! Great info in that story.
It is the stories behind the knives that makes the knives come to life and mean so much more when we add them to our collections!


The article about you, your knives and the museum was excellent, however I think the guy who took the picture used to take pics for drivers licenses!
You are right that is a bad picture of you! :lol: :lol:
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by bdev »

Hi.......What is the physical address of your museum? I live in the Hudson Valley and would like to visit.
Thanks.
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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Right now we are still at the temp site which is 4 Buena Vista Ave Wallkill NY , Tours right now are by appointment call 845 895 3501 . Hopefully if we can get enough funding we will be open weekends at least later this year at the permanent address. Thankyou for the interest. LT
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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Everytime I get drawn to this thread my jaw drops. I sure hope you get the support you need for all of us. I know if I still lived in Buffalo I would have made the trek ::nod:: I'm trapped in Florida but at least we see switchblades at every flea market. I actually trades about a dozen Chineese autos for this one at the Oldsmar Flea.
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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lt632ret wrote:Right now we are still at the temp site which is 4 Buena Vista Ave Wallkill NY , Tours right now are by appointment call 845 895 3501 . Hopefully if we can get enough funding we will be open weekends at least later this year at the permanent address. Thankyou for the interest. LT
Thanks LT,
I've been a stones throw from your museum every time I go to Gardiner to have my car serviced at Beeks Auto. I come from Washingtonville and make the right onto 208 from 300.
I'll call the next time I plan to be in the area.
Thanks......Bruno
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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Yep you would need a good arm to throw the stone but actually it is not much more than a stones throw.
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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how is it going? can I still join?
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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Hello to all OK it has been around 15 years ( yes that is 15 ) since the inception of the idea of a historical knife museum to keep the history of the cutlery industry and its people in the hudson valley alive. It has been a battle no actually more like a crusade. I used to use the analogy of an ant crossing 42nd street a monumental task that is impossible and really is an exercise in futility none the less the ant had always wanted to see the other side of 42nd street so he started off one step at a time. He really knew that he didn't have much hope but he had to try even if it killed him. Still in spite of the odds some ants make it across. That is us. Our funding is limited ( and that is being politely optimistic. ) there are only a handful of active participants although we now have around 125 members. Most of the hands on people are old farts excuse me I mean senior citizens ( like me ) . In my case I always said that this would either happen or i would die trying. The Hudson valley which once was the center of domestic cutlery production 50 to 70 percent of all the knives produced in this country were made in NYS actually in a little village called Walden made up of a few thousnd people and three knife companies, New York Knife, Walden Knife, and Schrade Cutlery co. This state is my home and i am sorry to say it is a dysfunctional, bueracratic, political, nightmare. I cannot begin to explain how every minor thing is made into an obstacle. First it took 8 years to write a bill and have it passed into law so that automatic knives had a legal procedure for there display.( NOTE automatics were the largest selling of all patterns telling this story and not being able to explain there part in the story is like telling the history of WWll and leaving out the atomic bomb because someone might be offended by it) Up to that point there was a hodge podge of nebulous laws that were interpreted by individual agencys upon there whim that day. I will not go further into that except to say that I had to explain there own laws and what was proposed to a group of a comittee of state assemblymen since they had no idea of what the laws were. It was amazing. Then there was the state charter we had to meet the same criteria as the New York state museum of natural history ( I believe they may be slightly better funded and have slightly more access to lawyers ect to address such an undertaking. Then our six elderly board of directors ( we also sweep up the place). It took a year to get a permit for a sign which of course had a fee to put up. So it went obstacle after obstacle. No assistance just curt clerks telling us what the fee was and if a T was not crossed correctly. One step at a time said the ant one day at a time as the myriad of cars rolled down 42nd street and we kept ploding along. when Schrade the last of the giant Hudson valley knife companies closed in 2004 . There factory collection was sold it is a long story and losing it would have virtually destroyed any meaninful collection of artifacts of this history except for a few people who fanatics like my self who had preseved it privately. I had been an antiquarian and curator for Schrade when they closed as well as doing customer shows on the East coast so I know what was in the factory collection our collective accumulation is equal and in some ways surpasses the factory collection. We have over come all the legal hurdles somehow with virtually no money we have a building and believe it or not JULY 12 2014 is to be our opening day. On July 12 the ant gets to the other side of 42nd street. I still do not know if i will make it but I am closer and the odds are a lot better. I have explained in past postings why keeping this american history is important and the story it tells, suffice it to say that these companies main product was not knives but rather the people and familys and there contributions to our history . The complexitys of this project have been monumental, I do not know how long we will be able to sustain ourselves. We have alot of things planned we hope to have a knife trading on the back porch on Saturdays , Our new law allows for member agents ( which is on the card each member gets) to carry and transport automatic knives in NYS
as long as they are in good standing and meet the criteria. I do not know what problems will come next I am sure there will be many but for now. The engine has started and we will be in motion on the 12th. I have hesitated in announcing this since it has been such a long road. I want to thank those of you who have supported us . My credibility is very important to me and considering the time frame it has taken being able to announce our opening is especially gratifying. We will be open on weekends 10 AM until 4 PM through the summer. We are at 3 Irish Cape road. just off route 209 about 2 miles up from the old Schrade plant. Look for the giant knife on the building. Come check out the largest Napanoch AX collection in the world, Honk Falls , Napanoch, NYK, Walden, Schrade. Grahamsville Ulster, Warwick, Nagle , Kipsi Kut. AUTOMATICS and more. I hope to meet any of you that can make it LT
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by wlf »

Congratulations,hard work always has it's rewards Rich.I hope to meet you sometime and visit the museum.

I'm the guy you sent the scans of the farmers jacks to.I would love to see some pictures of that S7303 made of unused parts you talked about.I finally found one,albeit not the best of condition,but I love it.

I look forward to more of your posts.
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

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The truth is we have more stuff than we have room for at least presently . it is a nice problem it will allow us to rotate the displays . Was that the farmers jack with a rooster bark blade? it is the only one I remember changing any blades I had the rooster debarker blade changed. I had found one in a baby food jar that had been given to me years ago filled with old pattern blades punches, and various old can opener blades. It was unmarked but brand new. when i get room I will put out a display of that pattern at the museum. Come on over and I will show it to you . Treat me right and if I do not have it in to difficult a place I will take it out and let you see it. Thats the privledge of being the curator and owning most of the stuff. LT
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by royal0014 »

Man that's great news ::groove:: Congratulations!!!
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by orvet »

Congrats LT, I know you have worked hard on this for years!
I am glad to see it finally happen. ::ds::
I just I could be there to see all the knives!
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Re: Wawarsing Historical Society and Knife Museum

Post by wlf »

lt632ret wrote:The truth is we have more stuff than we have room for at least presently . it is a nice problem it will allow us to rotate the displays . Was that the farmers jack with a rooster bark blade? it is the only one I remember changing any blades I had the rooster debarker blade changed. I had found one in a baby food jar that had been given to me years ago filled with old pattern blades punches, and various old can opener blades. It was unmarked but brand new. when i get room I will put out a display of that pattern at the museum. Come on over and I will show it to you . Treat me right and if I do not have it in to difficult a place I will take it out and let you see it. Thats the privledge of being the curator and owning most of the stuff. LT
Yes, that's the one.

This is the old one I was fortunate enough to find. A "rare bird". Flat blades.
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I buy roosters combs and farmers..........................................................jack knives [/b]

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