A. Field & Co Knife

[mickeyevans]

can't find anything in the forum on this knive
one book says 1886-1942 Prusssia/Germany, 2stars for collectability/value
Goin's list A Field like above and a Alfred Field Importers in NYC that got knives from all over including Sheffield
ebay and others has knives like mine going for $30-60
Anybody have anything more about this Knife

[Cutty]

I have a ebony jack marked A. FIELD & CO. CRITERION GERMANY

very little info around. I would like to know more as well, what you know may be all there is.

[wlf]

A Field Progress. c 1886-1942 According to Goins was made for" A Field and Company which had outlets at 93 Chambers and75 Reade Streets,NY City.They also had offices in Birmingham,Liverpool,and Sheffield ,England as well as Soligen,Germany.

They dealt in American,English,French,and German hardware and cutlery.They were the sole agents for Joseph Rogers & Sons of Sheffield and C Friedr Ern of Solingen,Germany.They also carried a complete line of __American-made pocket knives,marked "A Field & Co. Progress"." "Criterion"was another trademark used by this firm.


A Field & Co. Progress rooster comb

[mickeyevans]

nice knives gentlemen, wonder why my book only rates them 2stars
I have Goin's 1998 and Price and Zalesky 15th addition
Price book makes it look like two or more Co's, mentions Progess and Crierion and Prussia with A Field, but no NYC or england
Coin's shows two or more with Alfred leaving his partners and staying in one NYC address while the partners stayed in anther NYC address
original Co was F.E.& A. Field 1836, NYC cutlery importers
Alfred split in 1855 and stayed on Platt St, F.E. went to another Platt St address, guess they where Bro's

[knifeaholic]

The posted knife looks looks like a Schrade.

Field had knives made in Germany and also a lot of them made in the USA by Schrade.

[wlf]

I don't know who made them,but according to Goins "Progress" stamp indicated USA made.As highlighted in my post ,quoted from his book.

Who do you think made mine Steve?

[peanut740]

I have an A.Field scout knife someplace that is obviously made by Schrade.

[Elvis]

Who do you think made mine Steve?

I'm not the guy to do it, but the jigging on yours looks unique enough, it may be something to identify it by.

[knife7knut]

Here is one of mine that was definitely not made in the USA.All 3 blades stamped;coin liners;half stops(need to open with a knife pick)fiery pearl scales.

[wlf]

Well that might shoot down Goins.

[Salernoslim]

K7K: I have one almost identical except it's a four blade and has mop covered back springs. My mother in law gave it to me a while back, was her great grand dads. Had a little pouch it was in too. Mine also says Prussia and has a buck stamp on the backside of the tang.

[wlf]

Resurrected.

I am now thinking this is a German made knife,as is Ray's and Saler's, as it duplicates a Kastor lineage Camillus. It also has the German bump in the jigged bone handles at the bolsters. Camillus is also the earliest known maker(so far) of these ,what I call, rooster combs(having the flat blades and modified spey with the spud bark loosener).

I have a Camillus rooster comb with the supposed 1915-1918 stamp. In an unrelated note, which also duplicates the two Wilberts I have..

[smiling-knife]

Hi Lyle. That is a beautiful knife. When do you think it was made? Thanks

[wlf]

I would GUESS 20s- early 30s Steve. Mainly because of it matching the construction of a Sword Brand Camillus I have of that era and the pattern's heyday . Fields it seems was well connected in the cutlery industry,using English, German,and US knifemakers.

This pattern is so rare it's hard to say ,but I have not seen or heard of an English or German stamped one.Even though mine sports a German influence??

Here is a comparison of the Fields bone with Roger Russell's Boker and Henckels I have,although these do not have the "special blades".

[1967redrider]

Not to stray off topic, but I wish my grandfather had bought a dozen of those Forest Kings for $20 and put a few aside.

[wlf]

It sure would have been nice John,then I could really be your buddy.JUST....kiddin'

[wlf]

Note of interest on A Fields.

Bill Howard showed me an old A Fields knife box that came out of the Queen factory. I don't remember the pattern or if it was discussed, Charlie might. I don't know whether it was there during Schatt and Morgan,probably. I was curious because of the A Fields farmers jack I have. Schatt and Morgan did have farmers jacks in their catalog,I have not seen an older Queen farmers jack,only the 2009's.

[kootenay joe]

wlf, when you say 'bump in the bone by the bolsters' for the German made knives, do you mean that the edge of the bone is higher than the bolster ? rather than having been shaved down to be flush with bolster ?
thanks, kj

[wlf]

Yes Roland,it seems the first I saw of that type handle finishing were all German.They rolled the bone off very nicely. Early, it seems mostly on the small bolster end.You can see the same thing done much more crudely on the Bulldogs and such out of the Olbertz factory.

EDIT: Since my last posting of the earliest date of manufacture of the "rooster comb"; i.e. the flat bladed ,modified spey version of the farmers jacks, I have acquired a 1915-1918 stamped Camillus. The earliest known of that model.

NOTE: Koester is the German spelling for Kastor. J Koester knives were an exclusive trademark sold by the Shapleigh Hdwe.Co. and imported through Adolph Kastor & Bros. of New York.A very high quality line from Ohligs,Germany.

The A Fields construction is not the same as the earliest Camillus rooster comb, dating it a later make.

[ronfish]

Comments welcome, acquired this at the knife show in Pigeon Forge TN this weekend. Stamped - A. Field & Co Progress - Clearly very similar to the well known Schrade "Scouts Prepare" knife.

[1967redrider]

That is some pretty cool looking jigged bone!

[Mason]

Many great examples shown and I sure like the etch and condition on the "Scouts Prepare" knife.

[wlf]

Doing a little research,came across this thread. The A Fields I showed on the 1st page is not Schrade made ,as I have a Schrade rooster comb,and they differ.

[Miller Bro's]

A box they came in

[kootenay joe]

Levine lists Alfred Field as both a manufacturer and wholesaler. Where was their manufacturing factory ?
They sold knives manufactured in Britain, Germany & USA and used the names "Criterion" & "Progress". Can one tell country of origin by which of these names is used ? for example does "Progress" = made in USA ?
kj