Is this a camillus from the '40s?

[qajaq]

My wife got this knife at a yard sale years ago. Now that I'm a collector I'd like to know who made the knife and why they didn't put a name on it? The only stamp says High Carbon
Steel
U.S.A.
It has nickel silver liners, pin, bolsters and shield. At a knife show i was told 'its a Camillus from the '40s'
Anyone else think so?
Thanks for looking

[doglegg]

I think those were sold by Sears. Probably made by Camillus.

[Ridgegrass]

Levine says Sears (by Camillus) 1930's. Nice old piece. J.O'.

[OLDE CUTLER]

I recently redid one of the high carbon steel knives and there was some discussion of it here:
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=78751&hilit=high+carbon
Yours is older because it has pinned handle material.

[Ripster]

I believe that Camillus used the prong system on their handles way back to 1921 ,maybe further back . So saying it’s older cause it’s pinned doesn’t really apply . Camillus ,like many knife Company’s of the day would make whatever the customer wanted. Sta Sharp was top line then High Carbon, Some had milled liners and etch . Mr Dunlap and a few others handled the Sears and Wards accounts and they sold many, many variations to whoever was willing to purchase them.
You have a great knife. A piece of American history. Would say it’s probably late 1930s .

[Gunsil]

This is what your knife looked like when brand new. I like the Sta Sharp cattle knives, I have 3,4, and 5 blade versions. Premium knives with nickel liners.

[Gunsil]

Jigged cow bone.

[qajaq]

I thank each of you for all the good info. Great link Olde Cutler, I like your resourcefulness.

[Ripster]

This is what your knife looked like when brand new. I like the Sta Sharp cattle knives, I have 3,4, and 5 blade versions. Premium knives with nickel liners.


DE08585C-A715-4296-9A10-B2C264171E06.jpeg

Absolutely gorgeous piece !! And you can still read the number on the etch . Top notch

[Gunsil]

I thank each of you for all the good info. Great link Olde Cutler, I like your resourcefulness.

Hi, I got an email from AAPK that you sent me a PM but the PM system here is all screwed up and I can't see it. Says I have a PM on hold because my folder is full yet it also says folder 80%. I erased two more old PMs, said 72% full but when I hit "release all PMs" your message did not appear and I no longer get "message on hold" note. Hence I cannot reply through PM. Anyways, I'm not much for valuing other peoples knives. High Carbon Steel are not highly collected like Camillus, Case, KA-BAR, etc, and yours is quite worn. Knife needs to have the joints oiled and checked for "snap" in both directions , one cannot really evaluate a knife from a photo. I'd pay $5 at a flea market for it, wouldn't give $40 at a knife show for it, and if even one blade doesn't snap I wouldn't buy it. Others may have a different opinion for sure.

[Gunsil]

This is what your knife looked like when brand new. I like the Sta Sharp cattle knives, I have 3,4, and 5 blade versions. Premium knives with nickel liners.


DE08585C-A715-4296-9A10-B2C264171E06.jpeg

Absolutely gorgeous piece !! And you can still read the number on the etch . Top notch

Thanks! Lousy phone camera photo, etch is full, perfect and dark grey, knife is like new although the bone is a little lighter in color than my other two.