The Robeson Cutlery Company

[gino]

Nice one Marcellus, I like those handles.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Nice little 064 pattern penknife.

Those handles are a black composition, hot, compression molded product that Robeson used and is one of two or three different "jigging" patterns.

Very pretty.

That's an older tang stamp, too. According to Tom Kalcivic's Knives Can Talk, it dates the knife to 1917 - 1937, or so.

Charlie Noyes

[paulsvintage]

Very nice pen knife.

[Miller Bro's]

I think this is the most attractive leather sheath I have seen for an old knife.

[RobesonsRme.com]

I agree, MB, although I do not collect nor do I know much about straight knives.

Someone had a sheath just like that, in near mint condition, for sale on Ebay recently. No knife, just the sheath.

Might that be it?

Charlie Noyes

[whitebuffalo58]

Got a Robeson question. Did Ulster make some Robeson's? I have these 2, the scout has the embossed Robeson name in the handle rather then an actual shield. (I have a small Kabar done the same way) When I got the jack, the Ulster shield was inverted to be a plain oval. I popped it off to see if it had the embossed logo like the scout. (it didn't) When I took it off, I found the Ulster name on the underside. Both knives are stamped in 3 lines Robeson Shuredge USA. I didn't know if maybe the Ulster shield might have been added upside down just to fill in for a missing Robeson shield or if Ulster actually produced some of the Robeson knives.

The number on the scout is on one line 642214 and 2 lines on the jack 626 636.

Thanks, WB

[Miller Bro's]

Might that be it?

Yes sir

[RobesonsRme.com]

That's what I thought, MB.

WB, why did you think Ulster might have made the knife for Robeson, instead of thinking that possibly Robeson had made knives for Ulster and still had a few shields laying around?

No guarantees, but I suspect both those knives were made by Robeson.

The scout/utility was made during or shortly after WWII when the metal for shields was unavailable. Robeson improvised that impressed and white paint-filled "shield" to compensate.

I don't think I've ever seen that jack with those black comp handles with anything other than a smooth shield.

The "ROBESON" marked shields came later.

[whitebuffalo58]

Charlie, I actually meant to pose the question of other scenarios that I might not have thought about. Just failed to do so and that one simply hadn't occured to me. No guarantees needed, your suspicions are good enough for me. I'll glue the shield back in, smooth side out. As always, thanks for the info.

[Bret888]

I have one of those sheaths, and a knife in it. Both show plenty of wear.

[Bret888]

We went to a little gun show this weekend, and only came home with one knife, It is a Pocketeze 623858. I really like this one. It has milled NS liners, full blades, good snap, even some red paint left in the sheild. I am tempted to start carrying it...

[RobesonsRme.com]

Bret, that's a very nice little knife and I expect it's rather rare. I don't think I've ever seen a pre-war bone handled 858 sleeveboard before. Every other one I've seen were post-1948 genuine stag knives numbered 523858.

Like this one.

I love that knife.

DO NOT SEND IT TO ME!!

Charlie Noyes

[knifegirl888]

Bret, that's a very nice little knife and I expect it's rather rare. I don't think I've ever seen a pre-war bone handled 858 sleeveboard before. Every other one I've seen were post-1948 genuine stag knives numbered 523858.

Like this one.

I love that knife.

DO NOT SEND IT TO ME!!

Charlie Noyes

[singin46]

I love seein all these early Robesons folks! Charlie, those shielded EO knives are beautiful

[Bret888]

I guess I will get it back out of the mailbox and unwrap it again, if you insist....

I need to study up on Robesons. How do you tell it is pre war?

[bigdaddys8ball]

looking at all these old robesons i thought that i would post one of mine its a 3 inch whittler with no shield can anyone give me the age of this knife

[bigdaddys8ball]

one more this one is 2 3/4 lnog two blade pin with what looks like strawberry bone what can anybody tell me about this one

[gino]

Nice one Charlie

BDB, I dig them both

[Mossdancer]

Hi Charlie:
Found what just might be an older one. Unfortunately the small blade has broken a chunk off at the nail nick. Had nor have any idea of value and the guy wanted several bucks and would not budge so I just bought it. Someday's you get da bear and some day's he gets you and someday's you just gotta have something. What do you know and think?
moss

[RobesonsRme.com]

PM sent.

Charlie Noyes

[RobesonsRme.com]

Here is a very interesting ebony handled, 4 1/4" surveyor pattern moose or equal-end jack by The Robeson Cutlery Company.

This knife sold on Ebay recently. I did not buy it, but I was interested. It was sold by a well known Ebay knife seller that always photographs his knives on a red background.

I have no doubt as to this knife's authenticity, as I've seen a bone handled version salesman's sample in the past.

This would be quite a handful of knife.

Great pattern.

Charlie Noyes

[Jacknifeben]

I just found this Robeson. It has been over polished but looks very old. The bolsters are part of the liners going from one bolster to the other. Master blade is numbered 12837and the small blade has PAT. APP FOR. It is 4 #/16 inches closed. Never had one like it.

[Bret888]

That's an interesting knife. Was the integral bolster/liner idea something that could be patented?

[RobesonsRme.com]

Brett, it was patented.

There was a rather protracted discussion of these knives via Bernie Levine's "Whut-Izzit?" column in KnifeWorld Magazine a year or two ago. It persisted over several monthly issues.

BRL showed the patent drawings, etc.

However, he objected to the term "integral" being applied to the bolsters and liners. He thought that term pretty much exclusive for old 18th or 19th century Sheffield cutlery.

The third digit "8" in the pattern number denotes knives with this type construction.

Note there are no handle pins. Those over-lapping liners and bolsters secure the handle slabs.

Charlie Noyes

[Jacknifeben]

Dewey Ferguson book says "LIFELONG EBONIZED HANDLES" if the 3rd number is 8.