Just to show us what can be found at times on Ebay, if we know our subject and can spot certain characteristics of the knives we collect, here is the auction photo and the description provided by the seller.
The Japanese knife with the "chip" out of the front faux pearl handle was actually about 1/4 of the handle from pin to bolster. Notice he showed the back of the knife in his photo.
The seller also measured the Robeson incorrectly. It's 3 1/4" long.
The other, edited photo is what I shared with Dimitri and what helped me decide to try to buy it.
Evidently, I wasn't the only one to spot the knife, because it did generate some bidding competition.
Every day, there are hundreds of thousands of folding knives for auction on Ebay and among them are some lurking treasures.
I look at every new auction title every day in the pre-1970 category, plus I search for auctions under several different Robeson specific terms.
It pays dividends at times.
Charlie Noyes
Auction Description:
"2 OLD POCKET KNIFES ROBESON SHUREDGE 3.5" LONG IN GOOD CONDITION.PEARL HANDLE 3.5" LONG 2 BLADE NO NAME SFB 55 JAPAN ON BLADE CHIP ON CORNER OF HANDLE."
Auction Photo: