Made in America!

A Brief Queen Cutlery History

As with all American blade manufacturers, Queen Cutlery has had an extensive and complicated history. The short story is that a handful of Schatt and Morgan employees left S&M and began making knives on their own in Titusville, PA circa 1918. They were very successful and produced knives in their original factory for nearly 100 years, using traditional methods and equipment. During that time, they acquired numerous companies and trademarks, including Robeson and, their former employer, Schatt and Morgan in 1933. Queen was bought by Servotronics in 1969 and then sold to the Daniels Family in 2012. Daniels Family Cutlery kept things running until 2018, when Queen shut it's doors for good.

The MIL-K-818 "Demo Knife" is considered to be the US equivilent to the popular Swiss Army Knife. This is a stainless steel adaptation of the Engineer Knife, which saw action in WW2. Early models, mostly made by Kingston or Stevenson, first came on scene in 1944. They featured stainless steel blades, scales, bail, and rivets with brass liners and spacer. Camillus picked up the contract in 1949 and continued production for decades. They switched out the brass in favor of all stainless steel components in 1957. Although these knives are far less common than their Swiss counterpart; avid knife collectors have likely seen, or even owned one of these military issued utility knives. However, one is less likely to come across a Demo Knife made by Queen. Queen only produced these knives between 1983 and 1986, although they are all dated 1986.

This knife measures 3 5/8" closed, featuring:

3.25" Spear Point blade

Cap Lifter/Flathead Screwdriver

Can Opener

Leather Punch/Awl

Bail

"Q 1986" Tang Stamp

The springs are in great condition, with excellent snap on all blades. No wobble or play. It has some signs of carrying with minor rub marks and blemishes. There could have been some light use, although the main blade does not appear to have been used or sharpened. The construction is solid, which is no surprise, as these knives are often described as "indestructible"

Queen has always been held in high regard with collectors, noted for their high quality and tradition. Following the closure of their doors in 2018, there has been a renewed interest in collecting all lines of Queen Cutlery; including Robeson, and Schatt and Morgan. Grab your piece of American knife history before they're all gone!

**Note: I am new to knife collecting and selling. All descriptions are to the best of my knowledge and in an attempt to be as honest and forthright as possible in regards to knife condition. I have conducted hours upon hours of research on each individual knife that comes into my possession in an attempt to set a fair price. PLEASE feel free to contact me for more information on this or any other item in my store.

Semper Fi

For Sale By: Dr. Shank-N-Stein

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