Help with Keen Kutter EO Jack

[andylate]

I picked this up at a flea market a few years ago pretty dirty, with a loose pivot and a little rust. Unfortunately both main and pen blades have been touched with a bench grinder, and I tightened the pivot. It's safe to say collector's value has left the room, but I am not interested in selling it anyway.

The good - snap is very firm, there is plenty left in the blades, it takes a wicked edge and it's beautiful to my eyes.

Both blades have half-stops and there are no other markings on the blades. The pen has a slight swedge. Pull is pretty strong, enough that the pen blade is a little scary to close!

Can anyone help me with an estimated age and any other information? Am I risking a special knife carrying it?

Thank you
Andy

[ThatWeirdKnifeGuy]

Sure it's a special knife. It's from a great company with an interesting history. It's old and in great shape. It was made with pride and quality materials; and now you yourself have put your efforts into saving it from neglect and ambiguity. Knives were all tools before we decided they are cool to collect. Yours is a durable workhorse. You won't hurt it if you carry it and maintain it. Just don't open any bags of gravel or cut any roofing shingles and it'll serve you well for decades.

If you did sell it, in my opinion, as long as you are honest about the work you have done it won't affect the value negatively as long as the work you did was quality. The value was already affected with the damge that caused the blade wobble.

As for the value on it, I wouldn't be the expert for that information, but it's definitely collectable. It's an awesome looking knife. The shield is an eye catcher. All the more reason to carry it and show it off to your friends.

Just my two cents. Im sure a guy who has been into knives for longer than I have been alive will be along soon to correct my folly and give you some proper advice.

[ea42]

Andy that looks to be early 1940's. Beautiful looking knife, they don't often come along with nice full blades. Value is totally subjective but I'd estimate somewhere between $100 and $150. Of course that's going by one photo and not seeing it in hand.

Eric

[andylate]

Thank you both. 1940s, wow! I won't sell it (where would I find another?) but it's nice to have some idea of value.

Andy

[tallguy606]

A year ago I got a KK stockman, pre 1939, for $12. Blades heavily sharpened but tight and snappy after 80 years. These are high quality knives.

[danno50]

I usually affiliate that shield and tang stamp with Schrade made Keen Kutters.

[andylate]

Dan, does that mean manufactured by Schrade for Simmons or Shapleigh Hardware before the Val-Test era, manufactured by Schrade for Val-Test, or manufactured and sold by Schrade using Frost Cutlery's trademark?

EDIT - With Eric's information dating it to the early 1940s, I guess the answer is self evident.

I know my other Keen Kutter knife is manufactured by Schrade.

[1967redrider]

A year ago I got a KK stockman, pre 1939, for $12. Blades heavily sharpened but tight and snappy after 80 years. These are high quality knives.

The old ones were Winchesters and Napanochs.

[danno50]

Dan, does that mean manufactured by Schrade for Simmons or Shapleigh Hardware before the Val-Test era, manufactured by Schrade for Val-Test, or manufactured and sold by Schrade using Frost Cutlery's trademark?

If ea42 is correct about it dating to the early1940s, I guess the answer is self evident.

I know my other Keen Kutter knife is manufactured by Schrade.

Yes, manufactured for Shapleigh. I generally considered the Schrade ones to be late 40s to early 50s, but, am not going to contradict Eric's early 40s estimate as he is a lot more knowledgeable than myself.

[danno50]

A year ago I got a KK stockman, pre 1939, for $12. Blades heavily sharpened but tight and snappy after 80 years. These are high quality knives.

The old ones were Winchesters and Napanochs.

And the real early ones (1905 to 1923) were made by Walden.

[ea42]

Dan, does that mean manufactured by Schrade for Simmons or Shapleigh Hardware before the Val-Test era, manufactured by Schrade for Val-Test, or manufactured and sold by Schrade using Frost Cutlery's trademark?

If ea42 is correct about it dating to the early1940s, I guess the answer is self evident.

I know my other Keen Kutter knife is manufactured by Schrade.

Yes, manufactured for Shapleigh. I generally considered the Schrade ones to be late 40s to early 50s, but, am not going to contradict Eric's early 40s estimate as he is a lot more knowledgeable than myself.

Schrade started making the Keen Kutter knives around 1940. The easy open teardrops were dropped from the Schrade line-up a few years later so the Keen Kutters EO's from that era were only made for two to three years.

Also, Napanoch never made the early Keen Kutter knives. They were made in Walden at the Walden Knife Co, which Simmons eventually controlled. Napanoch was purchased by Winchester around 1919 or 1920. In 1922 Winchester purchased the Walden shop and moved everything and everybody up to Connecticut (as they did with Napanoch a couple of years earlier). They then formed a partnership with Simmons and made the Keen Kutter knives there. That's where you see the Napanoch influence in those Keen Kutter and early Winchester knives but the knives were never actually made by Napanoch.

Eric

[andylate]

Thank you all, and thank you for patiently seeing me through my "20 questions"!

I appreciate the knife even more now that I understand a little of its history.

Andy

[danno50]

[/quote]
Schrade started making the Keen Kutter knives around 1940. The easy open teardrops were dropped from the Schrade line-up a few years later so the Keen Kutters EO's from that era were only made for two to three years.

Eric
[/quote]

Thanks for the info, Eric. I didn't realize that Schrade started making KKs for Shapleigh that early.

[1967redrider]

A year ago I got a KK stockman, pre 1939, for $12. Blades heavily sharpened but tight and snappy after 80 years. These are high quality knives.

The old ones were Winchesters and Napanochs.

And the real early ones (1905 to 1923) were made by Walden.

Forgot to mention that one, thanks danno.

[Ridgegrass]

Details.details! I love it.Two things keep us collecting: 1.The thrill of a great find and, 2. Studying the details of the knives, makers, history, and lore of our babies. J.O'.

[andylate]

The stunning thing to me is that the KK knives produced before Schrade were even higher quality. My EO Jack is a very nice knife, the early ones must have truly been jewels!

Andy