America's "Little Sheffield"

[ObsidianEdge]

Thanks Lee and LD. LD, that's a sweet pattern and knife you posted. It looks nice and rounded.

[1fartsmella]

Barry, can you elaborate any on the bone on that Wester Bros?

Lyle, After comparing the Wester Bros with the 1908 NYK catalog cut, the jigging looks more like the Rough Cut jigging of the earlier NYK bone.
Now a closer look, the size of the Easy Open ease more closely matches NYK rather than Schrade.
It's difficult to tell the maker by the bone alone. Many of the Walden company's used the "Bone Shop" bone for handles back during this time period.
We learned the Bone Shop history from or buddy Eric over at BF a few years back.

[RalphAlsip]

It is a pleasure to review this thread and see the fantastic old knives being posted. Below is a 4 1/4" NYK large cigar easy opener. The blades are on separate ends riding on single back spring. What's unusual (to me) is, in addition to the easy open cut-outs in the handles and liners, the secondary blade has a cut-out for the main blade easy open grab point. If you look close you can make out a very faint blade etch.

[LongBlade]

What a great knife Jerry ... that cut out on the blade is unique to my eye as well ... museum quality knife - like all I have seen from your collection ... thanks for sharing!!!

[FRJ]

Jerry, that knife is pretty neat.
I have never seen that grind on the back of a blade before.

Lots of beautiful knives here.

[wlf]

Thanks Barry, No matter that is an excellent knife. I couldn’t remember where I read about the bone company before.

Jerry, I still have an affinity for the moose pattern, really any large single spring double ended jack. That NYK is tremendous, the etch is seen easily.

[ObsidianEdge]

That's an impressive knife on a lot of levels Jerry, and the notch makes it even more interesting. Quite the find.

[RalphAlsip]

Thank you everyone for the gracious comments on the NYK large cigar moose.

Are Little Valley, NY and Gowanda, NY are considered to represent "Little Sheffield"?

[KAW]

Some great first class knives being posted here...
Jerry... the NYKC with the easy open notch in the blade is the first I've seen like that... really neat!
The "Little Sheffield" area is traditionally described as in the Mid−Hudson River Valley region... about a 25 mile radius centered about Walden, NY. (NYKC, Walden KC, Schrade Cut Co)... so that includes Ellenville (Ulster, Schrade & Canal St. Cut), Napanoch & Honk Falls... plus smaller cutlers in Middletown, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, etc...

Great start to the New Year ...as I received this Napanoch Lobster yesterday (I really like this pattern) ...


Also last week, I received this early (1946−60) Schrade Walden №896K with celluloid "Butter & Molasses" handles which appears to be unused...


Happy New Year to all!

[ObsidianEdge]

Nice Ken. I like the Schrade pattern and that's a really neat Napanoch lobster.

[wlf]

I’m nearly obsessed with knife handles and those early pick bones are about my favorites Ken and the butter and molasses aint bad.

[FRJ]

Very nice knives, Ken. Good show.

[woodwalker]

Some great first class knives being posted here...
Jerry... the NYKC with the easy open notch in the blade is the first I've seen like that... really neat!
The "Little Sheffield" area is traditionally described as in the Mid−Hudson River Valley region... about a 25 mile radius centered about Walden, NY. (NYKC, Walden KC, Schrade Cut Co)... so that includes Ellenville (Ulster, Schrade & Canal St. Cut), Napanoch & Honk Falls... plus smaller cutlers in Middletown, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, etc...

Great start to the New Year ...as I received this Napanoch Lobster yesterday (I really like this pattern) ...


Also last week, I received this early (1946−60) Schrade Walden №896K with celluloid "Butter & Molasses" handles which appears to be unused...


Happy New Year to all!

Beautiful knives and that Lobster is gorgeous!!

[RalphAlsip]

Ken, beautiful knives. The Napanoch looks like it would require significant expertise to make.

Thanks for the clarification regarding Little Sheffield - it will help me stay on topic

[FRJ]

Here's my first stamped Napanoch knife. I think I like it.

[JAMESC41001]

Very impressive Joe.

[peanut740]

Joe,I would too!

[FRJ]

Thank you James and Roger.

[KAW]

Congratulations Joe!!!
If this is the same knife that was recently auctioned on Ebay, then your photos are far better than what the seller had posted! He did describe the handles as pearl, but they looked like ivory in his shots...

...and as I have already mentioned on the previous page [edited]... I really do like the lobster pattern to the point that I've been tempted to consider carrying it, but it is just too historic a piece for me to do so...

[FRJ]

Thank you, Ken.

Since you like the Lobster pattern have you looked at any Orange Blossoms?
They are a $tep up but very nice knives. And great history too.

[wlf]

Lovely Joe.

[FRJ]

Thank you, Lyle.

[KAW]

Since you like the Lobster pattern have you looked at any Orange Blossoms?
They are a $tep up but very nice knives. And great history too.

I have to admit... I had to look up what an Orange Blossom was...
Now knowing that the pattern was originally associated with NY Knife Co... it looks like I have another quest to seek...
Thanks Joe...

[KAW]

I've been wondering for a while now if NY Knife Co. had ever made a fish knife (Texas Toothpick / Tickler) as I had not come across one virtually or in the real world... until one finally showed up on the Bay last week in not too bad condition... there turned out to be very little interest in it so I got it for cheap...

with red "swirl" celluloid handles & what looks to be 177(?) stamped on the pile side of tang...also noted no "Hammer Brand" logo...

[KAW]

Initially I was considering posting the Schrade SFO's & Scrimshaws I have accumulated so far... but being from the 70's thru the 90's maybe it would be more appropriate to leave them for the Schrade Legacy Forum... but I think it is important to mention their 100th anniversary in 2004... bittersweet as it is since it is also the year they went out of business... I've been on the quest for one of their 100th year limited editions with complete packaging for quite some time now... one finally fell into my hands this past week... a 34OT in a tin with a photo of the original factory that was in Walden ([edit] burned down in 1958)... also found a 100th year money clip still in its original plastic... never opened...


also wanted to include another special 2004 edition...
each year the Village of Ellenville would go all out to put on their 4th of July festival with a grand parade & fireworks show. When Schrade relocated there... to help defray the cost of the festival... they would donate a limited edition of about a couple hundred knives designed for each year's festival to the village... who in turn would raffle them off... so below is the green bone peanut they issued in 2004... they closed their doors on July 30th... right to the end they were a class act with real sense of community support...