L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

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r wimmer
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L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by r wimmer »

i recently found a Knife that says L. Bradley Co. Naugatuck ,i cant find any info on it can you help?
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FRJ
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by FRJ »

Welcome to the forum, r wimmer.
Please post clear in focus pictures of the knife and the tang on both sides.
Knives from that neck of the woods can be quite desirable and collectible. ::nod::
Thank you.

EDIT: 1844-1869
Joe
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Welcome to AAPK! Here is a link to a tutorial on how to post pictures on my this site. viewtopic.php?f=98&t=50258 That stamping is very old, from one of the earliest American cutlery firms. Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings dates it 1844-1869. You can find more posts about it by doing a "search" here on this site.

And we would like to see pictures of the knife! ::handshake::

Ken
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If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.

When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.

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lt632ret
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by lt632ret »

Lyman Bradley was one of the earliest American knife companies ( not the earliest ) He also is credited with being the first or at least among the first to entice cutlers from Europe to come to this country to ply there trade. Bradley himself was also affialiated with American knife and was the manager of Waterville for many years. If you wish more info email LT632ret@frontiernet.net. or post what you want to know or post a pic or send me a picture. Interestingly Bradley contributed greatly to cutlery history in an odd way. After his english cutlers were here a while making knives the government as usual started increasing taxes to the knife companies. Bradley passed the extra cost on to his cutlers by charging them for there tools that they break and had to be replaced. these were previously supplied by the company. The cutlers who were independent enough to leave England when they did not like how they were treated. Were independent enough to tell Bradley that they were not going to be pushed around here either. Thus 16 of the cutlers told him to take his tools and jobs and stick them where the sun did not shine. They traveled to the Hudson valley to what was was then Matteawan NY ( Now called Beacon ) and began the New york Knife Co. Four years later they moved across the Hudson river and began production in Walden NY. Becoming at one time the largest knife producer in the world. They were in business until around 1930 long after Bradley and Waterville were gone.
kootenay joe
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by kootenay joe »

Not my thread but, Wow ! Thank you LT for this interesting slice of USA cutlery history.
kj
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by Mumbleypeg »

And still no picture of the knife. Looks like r wimmer hasn't visited the site since the original post. Hopefully he/she will return to see the response to their post, and maybe we'll get a picture.

Ken
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.

If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.

When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.

https://www.akti.org/
ea42
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by ea42 »

Here ya go Ken, he sent me a photo. Unfortunately it has a broken blade, otherwise it would be a great find. I think it still is though given the tang stamp. Lots of history there:
Bradley Naugatuck knife.jpg
Nice bit of history there LT!! ::tu::

Eric
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lt632ret
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by lt632ret »

Here are a couple of L Bradleys they are later than the Nagatuck tang. However the ebony is probably civil war or before, the whittler is tortise pre the popular use of celluloid. There were several Nagatuck firms I am just to tired to dig them out. LT
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kootenay joe
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Re: L BradleyCo. Naugatuck

Post by kootenay joe »

These have been well loved knives. The owners kept using them even as blades disappeared from many sharpenings. Great old knives !
kj
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