The Venerable Old Barlow

[Miller Bro's]

Picked up this Queen.

[FRJ]

Nice Queen, Dimitri. Looks like it has all of its blade.

[Miller Bro's]

Thanks Joe, it is unused and has a blade etch too

[Tsar Bomba]

Drake Oil Well etch? I can't tell you how many of those '72 Queens I've missed out on. I lost out on a near-mint one for a ridiculously good price when I had technical difficulties trying to bid an ebay auction. The only one I've seen since is listed elsewhere by some joker who wants nearly $300 for it. They are beautiful knives but even a mint Queen Barlow isn't worth that kind of money to me.

[Miller Bro's]

Drake Oil Well etch?

Yes

The only one I've seen since is listed elsewhere by some joker who wants nearly $300 for it.

[JohnR]

Dimitri, very nice Queen, those Drake Well's seem to be the last of the steel frame bone handled Barlows with that unique shaped bolster, I've never come across a later dated one. The earlier bone handled ones are not easy to find either. Picture of a couple Drake Well's and an early steel frame bone handled Barlow 1935 to 1955 if I remember right.

[SteelMyHeart85420]

Pair of Queen #22's

[Miller Bro's]

Dimitri, very nice Queen, those Drake Well's seem to be the last of the steel frame bone handled Barlows with that unique shaped bolster, I've never come across a later dated one.

Thanks, first one of these I have seen with that etch, I don't usually buy knives this"new" but the bone handles caught my eye

The earlier bone handled ones are not easy to find either.

What other handle material did they use?

[JohnR]

Dimitri, very nice Queen, those Drake Well's seem to be the last of the steel frame bone handled Barlows with that unique shaped bolster, I've never come across a later dated one.

Thanks, first one of these I have seen with that etch, I don't usually buy knives this"new" but the bone handles caught my eye

The earlier bone handled ones are not easy to find either.

What other handle material did they use?

Most vintage Queens I have seen came with some sort of synthetic like Delrin saw cut. The early bone handles like the ones I posted and your Drake well are fairly scarce, the bone in most cases seems to be pretty well done, not surprised it caught your eye.
Later Queen made Barlows with a more traditional style bolster have used various bone, stag and wood handles. I prefer the unique bolsters of the early Queens. Some later Queen made Barlow's.

[Tsar Bomba]

I'll echo the difficulty of finding a good old honest bone-handled Queen Barlow with the proprietary "offset" bolsters and, on many, covered backsprings. I've not seen many that didn't quickly begin to fetch rather ridiculous amounts in online auctions and internet stores, to the tune of having only found one -- a dye-worn Winterbottom single-clip with a cringeworthy pair of cracks reaching most of the way through and angling dangerously close to each other. It hasn't gotten worse since I obtained the knife, and it seems stable enough, but I don't have the guts to carry it when I have so many other nice Barlows I can choose. The rest of mine are either wood (Rawhide series ca. 1980, open-backspring) or variations on Queen's usual composite Barlow handles. I even have a "faux" jigged yellow synthetic that pairs well with lots of yeller knives.

The last knife on the right is actually an Ontario 606 which I'm fairly confident in saying is a Queen contract or rebrand. While I've found no independent confirmation, I know there was a very incestuous interplay of contract knives between one company and another in the northeast throughout the second half of the 20th. I like how Ontario proclaims it the world's finest pocketknife when it's pretty clear Queen built it and stamped it with their brand names.

I really like the Queen offset-bolster Barlow. Has anyone ever seen one with a spear master?

[Miller Bro's]

Has anyone ever seen one with a spear master?

I am pretty sure both of these have a spear master blade

This is a file photo and I have not looked at them in years

[edge213]

Queen bone handled barlow.

[edge213]

Walden Knife Co

[edge213]

10 dot 1970 Case bone one arm man

[bighomer]

Tony the spear blade Queen is # 23. Google queen historical catalogs you will get a kick of looking at the different Queen knives.

[Lansky1]

My latest find ... Case barlow in peacock appaloosa.

[QTCut5]

I've had this Trestle Pine Grand Portage black/gold Boxelder burl caplifter Barlow for awhile...finally getting around to taking a few photos of it.

~Q~

[QTCut5]

These two Schatt & Morgan #69s are always worth another look.

~Q~

[Duffer]

Schrade Cut Co Barlows. Lloyd

[QTCut5]

And a Clip Point completes the trifecta.

~Q~

[Tsar Bomba]

Drooling over stag is kind of humbling...

I love the stag on each of those knives for a different reason. That clip-point seems to be a "second cut" perhaps? The knobby stag on the Wharnie is just awesome and I love that heavy burn on the sheepsfoot's handles. Those are all on the #69 frame, right? I think there's a trick of the angle on the middle unstamped knife making it look almost shorter than the other two.

Teriffic trio! I'm going to have to go work off this envy.

Lansky and Duffer, you have got some fantastic Barlows there as well. Appy and Schrades, something I can't get enough of in a Barlow!

[Miller Bro's]

I don't think this one was used much.

[Tsar Bomba]

Cuz!

Wonder if Wolfertz changed manufacturers at one point. Pins different, pulls different, stamps different.

[JohnR]

Very nice Dimitri and Tony, here's a twin to Dimitri's barlow.

[Sanders Knives]

Some oldies but goodies!