Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

In 1939 Joseph Gerber (advertising agency owner) had custom knife maker David Murphy make 24 sets of carving knife for some of his select customers. Catalog retailer Abercrombie & Fitch saw them and was so impressed with the quality of the knives they wanted to sell them. Thus was born Gerber Legendary Blades.
Post Reply
vchief
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:06 pm

Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by vchief »

Hello all,

I bought this knife on eBay about 20 years ago, and have never seen another like it even though I consider myself a rather avid Gerber lover, especially of vintage folders and Presentation Series knives. Any help in identifying this would be deeply appreciated.
Attachments
Gerber 001.jpg
Gerber2 001.jpg
Gerber3.jpg
Gerber4.jpg
Gerber5.jpg
vchief
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:06 pm

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by vchief »

My apologies for the lack of picture quality, but I took these many years ago with a camera that wasn't the best. However, I can assure all that the blade markings are the same or very similar to the old early 1970s Gerber Folding Hunter that wore walnut or ebony scales. The handle material appears to be polished aluminum with hardwood inserts, and is very well made. I do not think this was altered after the initial sale, but rather at the factory...but you are the experts on this.
Case V42
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2006 12:33 am
Location: North Dakota

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by Case V42 »

I have no guess as to the knife's origins, but I have seen some pretty strange stuff that came out of the Gerber factory.
vchief
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:06 pm

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by vchief »

Case V42 wrote: Wed Dec 08, 2021 2:42 am I have no guess as to the knife's origins, but I have seen some pretty strange stuff that came out of the Gerber factory.
Thanks for the feedback. I have wondered if this was a concept knife made internally at the factory for examination and refinement, and your comment lends some support to that. Perhaps this design was made to compete with Ron Lake's aluminum interframe handled tail lock folder of the early 70s at a reasonable price and light weight for the mass market. Lake's were pocket sized and this is hunter size, but this might have been intended to be a more rugged form of the walnut handled Folding Hunter as the wood scales were rather damage-prone in use, perhaps even for use in fishing.

When I purchased this I asked the seller if anything was known about it, but he knew nothing. I made a forum inquiry back then but no one knew anything about it, and now that I'm retired and have more time I'm on the hunt again and hopefully will succeed this time.

Is anyone knowledgeable from the Gerber family or the Al Mar angle still with us? I've read that Pete Gerber gave Mar the job of designing an aluminum handle on his kitchen knives in 1967 (American Blade Magazine, November/December 1976, Volume 10, p.14) and after his success the title of Design Chief was bestowed on him. Mar continued to experiment with designs, and was, of course, hired to do aluminum handles. Might he be the designer/craftsman? Perhaps a pet project that never took?
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19336
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by orvet »

vchief wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 7:07 pm
Is anyone knowledgeable from the Gerber family or the Al Mar angle still with us? I've read that Pete Gerber gave Mar the job of designing an aluminum handle on his kitchen knives in 1967 (American Blade Magazine, November/December 1976, Volume 10, p.14) and after his success the title of Design Chief was bestowed on him. Mar continued to experiment with designs, and was, of course, hired to do aluminum handles. Might he be the designer/craftsman? Perhaps a pet project that never took?
My gut instincts says that knife was not made by Al Mar. The design is too busy one of Al's designs. Al's designs tended to be very clean, even his Magnum Folding Hunter with four finger grooves had smooth flowing lines. The Custom Series with six different models are nice example of Al's clean design work also the A Series Hunters were Al's design also.
I don't know anything about Al's work with the aluminum handled knives, but I didn't know him when he worked at Gerber. I did meet him until the early part of the 80s. His company was on Jean Rd. in Lake Oswego Oregon, right down the street from Kershaw before they moved to Wilsonville and subsequently to Tualatin, Oregon.

I checked through Phil Rodenberg's book; "A Chronology of Gerber Legendary Blades, 1939-1986," and there was nothing that even closely resembled that design. It must have been something made after Fisker bought Gerber in 1986.

PS- I thought it was interesting that Al had a degree in design from a college in California. When I was first being introduced to Al Mar Knives and was handling them daily in the cutlery store, I was really taken by Al's balance of utilitarian function and clean, uncluttered design.
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
btrwtr
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5061
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 11:53 am

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by btrwtr »

I would agree with Dale. I don't recognize the frame as being anything I've seen that was factory made. Maybe someone else can identify it. The knife looks to have a custom, rather than a factory made frame. The Gerber FH knives weren't very pocketable so this blade may have had a new made frame that would make the knife more pocket friendly. I looks like the customization was very well done.
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Wayne

Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
vchief
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:06 pm

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by vchief »

Thank you everyone for the feedback. It's a real mystery, that's for sure. Here's some more pics if this will take them. They aren't very sharp as they were taken years ago when I took the pics previously posted, but the Gerber marks can be made out despite blade discoloration. But by these markings it's a Folding Hunter blade for sure.
Attachments
Gerber5.jpg
Gerber4.jpg
kennedy knives
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 2187
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:37 pm
Location: westminster sc
Contact:

Re: Rare(?) Gerber Knife ID Needed

Post by kennedy knives »

I agree with everyone else looks like a FS1 Blade put in another frame the pictures aren't good enough for me to see .
Al-Mar worked with a couple of custom guys when he first started AL-Mar maybe something they put together.
Gary
Post Reply

Return to “Gerber Legendary Blades Knife Forum”