Winchester made by Queen (Blue Grass)

Winchester entered the knife market as a manufacturer in 1919 by acquiring two existing knife companies; Eagle Knife Co. of Connecticut & Napanoch Knife Co. of New York. Winchester stepped away from the market in 1942 to focus on war related manufactured products, but re-entered in the late 1980s by licensing its name to Blue Grass Cutlery. Blue Grass had high quality knives made by Queen Cutlery that featured the Winchester brand name for a handful of years until the license arrangement ran its course. Winchester eventually started licensing to other companies & now you will find the brand name used by several knife manufacturers by way of license agreements.
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centennialknives
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Winchester made by Queen (Blue Grass)

Post by centennialknives »

I've been acquiring a stupid number of the Winchester cartridge, buffalo head, musket series knives. My understanding is they are made by Blue Grass Cutlery, who contracted to Queen.

Here's my questions:
1. What blade steel was used? I've seen folks say SS and 1095, but I don't know for sure. Maybe it did vary. Seems to me they are SS.
2. I know of the cartridge series, buffalo head series, and the musket series. What others where there?
3. all the ones that I have acquired, have a beautiful burnt orange handle -- big fan -- but where there others?
Robert
Washington, IL (near Peoria)
"Always keep an edge on your knife 'cause a good sharp edge is a man's best hedge against the vague uncertainties of life." - Corb Lund
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Railsplitter
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Re: Winchester made by Queen (Blue Grass)

Post by Railsplitter »

There was a series that collectors call "The Black Box Winchesters" produced by Queen from the late 1980's into the 1990's.

I have a couple but I'm at work so no pics of my own.

Most of them had the same type of bone as the knife in this link and came in a box like the box in the link.

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... uo-s-knife
Rick T.

"My knife money maketh itself wings!" mb>

Proud member of the Buck Collectors Club Inc.
robpa
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Re: Winchester made by Queen (Blue Grass)

Post by robpa »

Mostly carbon as far as I know. I have around 40 and I counted 6-7 different shields. As far as handle material, its hard to say there are so many. Old brown bone in Rogers and peach seed, yellow bone old green bone, red bone, wine bone, different oranges, bunch of celluloids, stag, pearl, abalone, more and more. If you wanted just one of each frame and of each handle material it would be a daunting task. The Bluegrass Wins are very good quality knife, I would compare them to the Schatts, so does the master cutler in charge of their production, who now make GEC knives. I acquired quite a few from a friend who was at one time a Queen sales manager who rubbed noses with all the big time knife guys. I think he bought over 100 direct hot of the presses, alas, I got into this game when his numbers were down
As a side note, Bill howard told me when Bluegrass was having their knives made at Queeen, they brought in truckloads of celulloid materials. it came in large cubes, roughly 21/2 foot cubes. He doesnt know how they slabbed it off but it was a lot of material.
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