All About Pocket Knives

i am want a civil war era pocket knife i dont know what kind to get i was think a new york knife co or there abouts. And what brand did the south carry if any

There are Civil War era knives on Ebay all the time.

Seriously, no. There aren't.

You need to know what companies were actually in business prior to the Civil War. And, you need to know how they marked the knives that were made during the time period.

If a certain mark is reported to have been used by an old company from, say, 1856 to 1888, how would one decide that any knife so marked actually was made before or during the Civil War, 1861 to 1865 and how would one ever ascertain that the knife was actually used in the war?

I would suggest obtaining a copy of Goins Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings. That will help you with the manufacturing dates of certain companies and what tang stamps were used at what time periods.

You also need to study manufacturing techniques and knife making materials of the time. Find out when certain attributes of folding knives were introduced. i.e. don't buy a knife with stainless steel blades, etc.

Bear in mind that there is probably no genre of historical collectibles that are being counterfeited more than Civil War items. There are probably more fake items than real.

Good luck with your endeavor. Show what you find, but try to show us before you buy it.

Charlie Noyes

The best starting point for researching Civil War era knives is probably the results of the archaeological excavation of the Steamboat Bertrand. The knives recovered would have been general merchandise of the era, for the most part. The knives would have been ordered while the war was still in progress. There are some good links to get you started reading about the Bertrand at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Bertrand

Those few archaeologically-recovered pocketknives I've seen with firm attribution to Confederate soldiers while the war was in progress have seemed to be typical pocket knives of the era. Accounts sometimes mention that pocketknives were carried, but few mention style or brand, usually just saying "jackknife."

Good luck, and let us know what you find!
Jim

CoffeeCup, that Bertrand wreck excavation link was a great idea. I'd seen those photos in the past and had completely forgotten them.
Charlie Noyes

I have been relic hunting with a detector for 30 years and have dug quite a few knives over that time. I have dug several pocket knives,and a few broken bowie blades. I posted a confederate bowie handle above. I can usually tell by location found as to wether it was used by north or south.
Unfortunatley due to age and time in the ground the steel is usually too far gone. As far as types most commonly are 2 blades with bone handles. I dig those pretty often. From my research a lot of them are english in manufacture. I have even dug home made sharpening stones that show use by soldiers in winter camps. They were dug from old hut sites and trash pits in Virginia.
As far as the south, most were local black smith manufactue and OFTEN reprooduced. There were a handful made in the south but few carry any identifying marks.Do not buy off ebay, instead do a search for metal detectors/ relics and you will find some reputable dealers which can be trusted. If you want confederate...be prepared to spend some money. They are not cheap.
I have a multitude of reference books if you need some specifics if I can help.
Try http://www.mytreasurespot.com and look for the dealer sponsors. They are all good guys and I know most of them.
If I can be of any more help just email me.
Mike