need help with Robeson

[johnnierotten]

Who made this?......the single pin suggests to me Bear & Sons or Taylor.....the stamps look authentic and it is the correct pattern number.
Any help would be appreciated.

[Aimus Moses]

Johnny I don't know the answer but I'm like you, it looks to have some Bear & Son DNA in it.

Aimus

[msteele6]

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I think it's made by the most obvious candidate, Robeson. I own one very much like it in stag (522482). The Robeson mark shown is from the later knives, maybe 1960's?

A nice big trapper.

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[johnnierotten]

I hope your right but I have never seen a Robeson with only one pin and a straight nail nick on the spey blade...Those are my only concerns.
Here are some pics of one that I am almost certain to be genuine....you can see the difference.

[msteele6]

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Didn't really notice the nail nick, but Robeson certainly did a lot of experimenting over the years and odd design elements wouldn't really surprise me. Maybe Robesonsrme will be along and shed some light on it.

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[johnnierotten]

The only other possibility that I can come up with is maybe it was rehandled and they only did the one pin. ....I hope someone can help me out..its driving me BONKERS!!
Thanks for your input.

[RobesonsRme.com]

The pattern is an old Robeson pattern and one that was continued after WWII and probably right up to their closing in 1965. I have a 1960's catalog that contains the pattern.

The straight nail nick is totally right. Folks refer to them as "long nail nicks" often. I don't like that description because that's just not what they are. They don't extend to or through the tang. I, personally, think they were created using a stamped or punched technique.

These type nicks appear on knives made from about 1948 to 1965. The master clip on your knife has a regular nick. I suspect that might infer a "transitional" knife with one older blade and one newer blade. The ROBESON / SHUREDGE (block) / U.S.A. stamp was used from about 1940, through WWII and up until 1965. So, I think your master is just a bit earlier than the skinning blade.

The handles having no pins, other than the hinge pin makes me agree with the above, the handles have been replaced. I don't recognize the material right off hand either. I've seen this pattern in brown bone, genuine stag and yellow composition. I do not own a yellow composition.

Look inside the knife with a magnifying loupe to see if the liners are drilled for handle pins.

Robeson made some patented knives with liners and bolsters that wrapped over the edges of the handle material. Those knives had no handle pins, only the hinge pin. This knife is not one of those.

I've seen some Bear/Robeson knives on Ebay, but I don't keep up with anything marked Robeson that was made after 1965, so I really cannot speak to any connection between Bear and this knife.

Here are some examples.The stag knife is from 1948 - 1965. Both blades have the stamped straight nail nicks.

The bone handled, so-called, "half-trapper" is from prior to WWII. The pattern number 622482-100. The "dash 100" indicates a variation from the standard pattern. In this case, it has a pen as the secondary, instead of the long, heavy skinning blade.

Also a post 1948 Robeson trapper of a different pattern number 622382, similar to, but I think prettier than, the Case 52 pattern . It has the straight nail nicks on both blades.

Also an 061 slim trapper, like a Case 48. This knife also hails from the 1948 - 1965 time period, but note the standard nail nick on the clip master. Same-same on the skinning blade.

Go figure. The questions just never end.

Charlie Noyes

[johnnierotten]

Charlie your a life saver!! .....its been rehandled..I can see the holes inside on the brass liners.
It never occurred to me to look...that was to simple...my brain doesn't work like that.
Thanks again,Bro.