Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

This forum is dedicated to the discussion and display of old knives. The rich history of all the many companies that made them through the early years will be found here as well as many fine examples of the cutlers art. Share pictures of your old knives and your knowledge here!
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by ratlesnake75 »

Hey Guys,,I concur with LongBlade also. The minor chipping on bottom liner on the cattle does resemble a more natural material not like celluloid which normally is noted for shrinking instead of chipping.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Duffer »

Here are three HSB & Co. OVB folders. Top is a swell center or Coke bottle folding hunter (NYKC), left one is a dog leg tear drop Jack and on the right is a regular Jack OVB marked on primary mark side blade. Lloyd
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by JohnR »

3 beauties Lloyd, great knives!
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FRJ
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by FRJ »

Great knives, Lloyd. ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::

That hunter is a beast. ::drool::
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Tsar Bomba »

Lloyd, you buried the lead in the other thread by holding back that coke bottle. Wow! :shock: :shock: :shock:

A trio of treasures right there, my friend. ::tu::
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by wlf »

Nice knives Lloyd and Mossdancer.
I buy roosters combs and farmers..........................................................jack knives [/b]

GEC SFOs and others at LICK CREEK CUTLERY- www.allaboutpocketknives.com/wlf

May the Father and Son bless
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Duffer »

Thanks John, Joe, Tony and Lyle for the nice remarks on my HSB knives--much appreciated!

Anyone have any idea what kind of wood the handles are made of on the smaller Jacks? Even a guess?

Thanks, Lloyd
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Tsar Bomba »

I suspect the swell-end jack is cocobolo.

I really can't tell on that cool little dogleg teardrop of yours, though. Due to color and certain characteristics I'd almost guess bubinga, but that's a scarce-to-rare wood for pocketknives AFAIK. Could just be oak with a little character, but I am surely no expert... ::shrug::
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by stumpstalker »

Here is a HSB English Jack; 4 3/8ths-inch; brown bone; filed German-silvery internal liner between pen and master blade; pins, shield, bolster and end cap.

What factory do you believe made it?

The knife is not in my cutlery section reprint of the 1933 HSB catalogue. I have very little reference material on HSB knives.

Except for the pen blade and shield it shares many similarities with No. K2683 in Shapleigh’s 1942 catalogue, section 21, page 73 (a Keen Cutter), making the knife possibly Winchester-made. This is admittedly a tenuously-based hypothesis.

One experienced knife maven looked at it and seemed pretty confident that it was Camillus-made. I do not recall why he believed that.

The number [110] on the pile side of the master blade is intriguing. Has anyone else seen three digit or lower numbers stamped like this on other HSB knives; or maybe even more importantly, on knives made by one of the brands of the known makers of Hibbard, Spence, Bartlett & Co. knives?
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stumpstalker
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by stumpstalker »

Whoops. Looking further in my notes I see that indeed I was told by the knife maven that Camillus did stamp three-digit numbers on it's blade tangs.

Do others agree?
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by peanut740 »

I would concur.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by knifegnome »

I don't get many knives off ebay, this arrived last week. Faint blade etch " Fort Worth 1902 Cattle Raisers Association"
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by peanut740 »

Another Tulsa pickup,3 blade sowbelly stockman with OVB etch.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Old Folder »

Thought I would share my old OVB Box.
Measured 4-¼" wide X 2-¾" deep and 1-¼" tall.
No indication of what pattern it held but on the end of the box in pencil it is marked 657.
Cost is marked 1.75
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Old Folder »

"Art Nouveau" is an International style of art, architecture and applied art, especially the decorative arts, that was most popular between 1890 and 1910.
A good example of this time period is on one of my wife's Art Nouveau hat pins, it has a 8-¼" pin shank, with an actual pearl.
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You will also observe that many knife companies got in on this very popular art form and produced some very interesting "Art Nouveau" knife handles.
I cannot give a exact date of my below pictured "Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett" Knife, other than between 1890-1910, during the Art Nouveau craze.
Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co. 1855-c1960 has a vast history of knife manufacturer/contributors:
"O.V.B., True Value by New York Knife, Ulster, Camillus, Utica, etc. Became True Value Co." maybe I have missed others?
Knife measures 3-¼" closed. Both blades have "Half Stops" strong walk & talk. Both blades are marked "Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co."
My wife believes the handles are Gold. I will purchase a "Precious Metal Testing Kit" to confirm her beliefs.
It never tarnishes, dulls or looses its luster. However there are no Gold markings or symbols.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by FRJ »

Hear is a neat old Hibbard Spencer Bartlett pearl stockman.
The main clip blade is a little trail weary but it is still a substantial knife. 4 inches closed.
This is a premium stockman with sunken joints and nickel silver pins and liners which appear to have been worked to some degree.
Love that spey!

Thanks for looking.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by thegreedygulo »

Very nice. ::tu::
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks Greeds. ::tu::
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by OLDE CUTLER »

I picked up this OVB whittler in MOP at a fleamarket recently. It is not as nice as others shown here, it has been dropped twice as it is missing the piece shown on the front and another similar piece on the opposite end of the back. But for $5 I thought it would be a user. Beside the OVB, it is stamped Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett Co. This must be some subdivision of the whittler family when it has a nail file in place of the second pen blade?
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Interesting and nice knife Joe ::tu:: ::tu:: ... I haven't seen many 4 blade stockman especially one with a manicure blade ::hmm:: - The spey blade though no doubt sharpened looks just like a corn knife blade to me - maybe it is the sharpening ::shrug:: ...

Nice addition of an OVB whittler Olde Cutler ::tu:: ::tu:: ... Nice user for sure....
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by Dinadan »

Very nice old knife, Joe. I agree with Lee: I have never seen a stockman with a nail file manicure blade.

I like that whittler, Olde Cutler. I guess folks just were not supposed to drop a knife like that. I probably could not carry it for one day before I dropped it and broke the MOP.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by OLDE CUTLER »

Dinadan wrote:Very nice old knife, Joe. I agree with Lee: I have never seen a stockman with a nail file manicure blade.

I like that whittler, Olde Cutler. I guess folks just were not supposed to drop a knife like that. I probably could not carry it for one day before I dropped it and broke the MOP.
I have another MOP pen that is also a shadow pattern and it has an almost identical chunk missing. If they ever were dropped on a hard surface, the MOP shadows would almost always break. It is a neat old knife though and I carry it occasionally.
"Sometimes even the blind chicken finds corn"
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks for the comments, guys.
I agree, it seems odd to have a stockman knife with a manicure blade. ???
Joe
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by JohnR »

Added this HSB Grand Daddy Barlow this week, close to unused with great bone.
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Re: Old HIBBARD, SPENCER & BARTLET---OVB---Knives

Post by BWT »

Very nice John and a great find ::tu:: ::tu::
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