An old Phoenix Knife Co.

[Mossdancer]

Hello;
I sure would be interested in knowing if this knife was before or after 1900. I think Phoenix came to life as a name change from Central City Knife Co. along about early 1890. Are these handles a stag from that era or bone.
wb

[lt632ret]

Phoenix is a sought after tang. I am not going to start ranting about its history which for what is written anyone can look up the same as me Levine or Goins will have the usual info. which is minimal. a company which became Phoenix in 1892, In my case I have never seen much info on them. I have a couple in ebony one is a spear large beautiful monster that I keep in an old ebony and bone coke bottle collection of old tangs. THe fact is that dating knives of this type are unless some unusual info exists are often impossible to pin down ( as to age much closer than in this case was the whole life of the company. If I could find a dated catalogue reference or two to compare when the knife was or was not advertised as in the companies line. You know the knife was after 92 and no later than 1916 heck that is pretty close with out any other info. Now out there in the cyber world there is someone who collects these Galvanic perhapes he is pretty good with some of these upstate rarer tangs. If someone who specializes in these can step forward it would be possible to get closer. As far as the handles I can omly guess and if I had to I would say STAGGED BONE. So in effect I have not really answered your question merely discussed it and posssibilitys regarding it. Perhapes if various tangs or patents were used during certain periods of production this could help date it exactly. We need a Phoenix collector to rise from the ashes. LT

[Mossdancer]

Hi LT;
Thanks, You are absolutely correct a 24 year window a century or more ago is close enough for me. For the handle I do not have a feel for either way.
Thank you very much,
W.B.

[lt632ret]

Try this look at the handle with a loop or glass you can tell by the variation in the coloration or if you see cut marks then it is stagged bone if the color is consistent and it is smooth all through, it is stag. LT

[Mossdancer]

Hi;
Im pretty sure your correct. If you enlarge to 400% and look right above shield you can see the jig marks. The other handle shows the marks very plainly. It was a case of me not seeing the forest for the trees.
Thank You,
W.B.

[Mossdancer]

Hello All:
I am bringing this old thread back now that there are far more folks on AAPK. Any Phoenix collectors please chime in with any info you might have, Lt has been nice enough to provide a birth date of 1904 plus or minus up to 12 years. which after over a century is pretty close. Even if you have no new info you might like to see the knife and some new photos.
moss

[upnorth]

I believe the bone is from the Winterbottom factory, which was in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Their signature style was long striated cuts. Mr. Winterbottom was a trained bone cutter, and migrated from England in the 1880s.
The red knife on the left is a 1910-1920 version on a Case knife. The second knife has a later 1950s version. The rest are various replicas and modern versions.

[upnorth]

P.S. click twice on the picture, and you will see some of the deeper texture similar to the Phoenix!

[orvet]

For you Winterbottom Aficionados, by way of comparison; here is some current production Amber Winterbottom bone from Culpeppers' that I put on a 194OT Old Timer.

I am fond of the way Winterbottom looks when it wears. The bone on that old Phoenix is just grand!
IIRC, I have an old Queen stockman with well worn Winterbottom scales......................somewhere.

Dale