Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

The Remington Corporation and the knives that they built have influenced the U.S. cutlery industry more than nearly any other manufacturer. From the time America was settled, to the end of WWI, American knife companies struggled to compete with Britain and German imports, but events that occurred during and after the First World War led to a great change in this phenomenon. Unprecedented opportunities arose, and Remington stepped up to seize the moment. In the process, they created some of today's most prized collectables. In an ironic twist, the next World War played the greatest role in ending the company’s domination of the industry.
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that_owl
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Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

Hello to all.... I'm new around here. My father loved fishing and hunting and anything dealing with them. Now that he's gone, I'm trying to clear out some of his collectibles. I can usually find info about various items, but I'm having trouble with this particular knife. The only other ones I've been able to locate are a couple for sale on Etsy.

Can any of you link me to more info on this particular knife? I'll attempt to attach a few pics here...

Thanks in advance. (ps: pretty sure I'm not adding the pics correctly. Sorry about that... I'll get it figured out eventually)

that_owl
Lela

9053
9052

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... /album/508
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1967redrider
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by 1967redrider »

I'm guessing an R31_5 if it's 3 1/2" closed but maybe someone has a better guess? ::shrug:: No pattern number on the back of the tang?
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by peanut740 »

::welcome:: Can you post the other side of the knife with the blades open?
Roger
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that_owl
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

Yes, I forgot to mention that it is marked R3415.

9055
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

And here (as requested) is the other side of the knife open. I have also attached some closer markings.
And I just now realized it has "Remington" engraved on the big blade...although very weak through being sharpened. (I guess?)

9057

9056

Thanks for looking!

that_owl
Lela
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that_owl
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

peanut740 wrote:::welcome:: Can you post the other side of the knife with the blades open?

Ha! And I just realized how to respond individually to posts. ;)
And thank you for the 'welcome.' :)
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msteele6
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by msteele6 »

The knife was made by Remington before WWII. The handles are green glitter celluloid, a material akin to what collectors call "Christmas Tree" celluloid. The knife has the acorn shield which is correct for a knife with a punch. It looks like the punch may still have some of the bluing on the inside, which is always nice since it is an indicator of wear on the knife. Originally, the knife would have had an etch on the front of the master reading "Remington" and something else, if you look closely at the blade there might still be some trace of that etch that can be made out in the right light.

One of the most important things about the knife that can't be determined from photographs is what collectors call "walk and talk". That has to do with how tight the springs are. To determine that, the first thing to do is to open the blades a little bit and see if they snap back into place when you release them. Next, move them almost to the fully open position and see if they snap into the fully open position by themselves. There may be a spot at the half open position where they also snap into the half open position, if they do, this is called "half-stops". Many collectors are sticklers for collecting only knives that have good walk and talk. The "talk" refers to the clicking noise the knife makes when snapping into the various positions.

There is a lot information that could be given regarding the knife, however, most newbies are actually only interested in one thing, "How much is it worth?". For the answer to that question, the questions about walk and talk and any etch need to be answered first, if the walk and talk is good and there is some etch remaining an R3415 in the condition shown (I would call it excellent depending on walk and talk) is probably worth between $50 - 100 on the big auction site (eBay). It's actually a fairly common Remington knife. Of course, I am assuming that there are no cracks that I can't see in the handles, or, for that matter, any other damage.

The best way to estimate value is to look up completed auctions on eBay.

Nice knife ::tu::

P.S. I just noticed that you posted a picture showing a partial etch, a definite plus. ::tu::
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

Thank you for that very detailed bit of info on this gorgeous knife. I found most of that info in a book I have that
also came from my father. It lists the handle as "Pyremite" which is apparently an in-house name for celluloid.

I appreciate your information about "walk and talk!" I had not heard those terms and this knife has a lot of both. Nice, tight springs
cause the blades and punch to snap both open and closed. And there are no cracks, etc. in the handle.

I'm going to take some better photos of it with my macro lens before posting it for sale. I find it interesting that you say it's a pretty
common Remington knife since I had a hard time finding any online....except for the couple that one person on Etsy has listed.

Thanks again for all the info....much appreciated!

that_owl
Lela


msteele6 wrote:The knife was made by Remington before WWII. The handles are green glitter celluloid, a material akin to what collectors call "Christmas Tree" celluloid. The knife has the acorn shield which is correct for a knife with a punch. It looks like the punch may still have some of the bluing on the inside, which is always nice since it is an indicator of wear on the knife. Originally, the knife would have had an etch on the front of the master reading "Remington" and something else, if you look closely at the blade there might still be some trace of that etch that can be made out in the right light.

One of the most important things about the knife that can't be determined from photographs is what collectors call "walk and talk". That has to do with how tight the springs are. To determine that, the first thing to do is to open the blades a little bit and see if they snap back into place when you release them. Next, move them almost to the fully open position and see if they snap into the fully open position by themselves. There may be a spot at the half open position where they also snap into the half open position, if they do, this is called "half-stops". Many collectors are sticklers for collecting only knives that have good walk and talk. The "talk" refers to the clicking noise the knife makes when snapping into the various positions.

There is a lot information that could be given regarding the knife, however, most newbies are actually only interested in one thing, "How much is it worth?". For the answer to that question, the questions about walk and talk and any etch need to be answered first, if the walk and talk is good and there is some etch remaining an R3415 in the condition shown (I would call it excellent depending on walk and talk) is probably worth between $50 - 100 on the big auction site (eBay). It's actually a fairly common Remington knife. Of course, I am assuming that there are no cracks that I can't see in the handles, or, for that matter, any other damage.

The best way to estimate value is to look up completed auctions on eBay.

Nice knife ::tu::

P.S. I just noticed that you posted a picture showing a partial etch, a definite plus. ::tu::
Carpe Diem!
that_owl
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msteele6
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by msteele6 »

"... I find it interesting that you say it's a pretty common Remington knife since I had a hard time finding any online....except for the couple that one person on Etsy has listed..."

Well, when I say "pretty common" that's a relative term, you have to remember that Remington quit making knives 75 years ago and therefore almost any pattern is pretty rare. They made literally hundreds of patterns and I personally haven't seen ANY of half of them, however I've seen a dozen or two R3415's and actually OWN two of them.
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

Make me an offer on a third one. ;)
j/k. :D
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by deo-pa »

It's a nice knife. If you do post it on eBay Lela come back to this Forum section of the website, navigate to the Knife Commerce section and then to Advertisements. Post the fact that it is for sale and maybe a link to the eBay listing. Some of us here will be interested in bidding.

Knives don't take up much space. Perhaps you should consider keeping at least one of your father's knives and tucking it away for a son or grandson. So many of the folks here have knives that have been passed on and that mean everything to them... they'd never part with them.

Dennis
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

Hi Dennis,
Thank you for the info about the commerce section. I'll check it out.

Also, I'm already one step ahead of you about keeping one or more...in fact, I always carry a pocket knife in my handbag & am considering
replacing it with this one. I've also put aside one knife (Imperial yellow fishing knife?) for our son who loves to fish - my Dad loved to fish as well.

Thanks again,
that_owl
Lela
deo-pa wrote:It's a nice knife. If you do post it on eBay Lela come back to this Forum section of the website, navigate to the Knife Commerce section and then to Advertisements. Post the fact that it is for sale and maybe a link to the eBay listing. Some of us here will be interested in bidding.

Knives don't take up much space. Perhaps you should consider keeping at least one of your father's knives and tucking it away for a son or grandson. So many of the folks here have knives that have been passed on and that mean everything to them... they'd never part with them.

Dennis
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by wlf »

Welcome Lela.
I buy roosters combs and farmers..........................................................jack knives [/b]

GEC SFOs and others at LICK CREEK CUTLERY- www.allaboutpocketknives.com/wlf

May the Father and Son bless
Lyle
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that_owl
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Re: Help with ID? Remington UMC 3 Blade

Post by that_owl »

Thank you very much, Lyle!

that_owl
Lela

wlf wrote:Welcome Lela.
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