Cotton Samplers

[Miller Bro's]

Due to the Bail it has, I would say it is a Rope knife

[trail]

As far as I can tell, these square bladed samplers are pretty much the same thing as rope knives. From Levine, "A few cotton samplers, instead of having this rounded blade, have a broad square-pointed blade. These are heavy and even wider than rope knife blades..." He includes a picture of a Russell sampler that looks very similar to my Utica. While it doesn't have a bail, it does have a lanyard hole. Here is a picture of my knife alongside a Camillus rope knife, and the heavier, wider blade is evident. I have also compared my knife to a current production Utica rope knife, and the sampler blade is heavier and wider. Jerry, I also thought the knife was a rope knife from the advertisement, but since I like rope knives I bid on it. It was only after I had won the knife that I started to wonder if it could be a sampler. When I got it, it was clear to me that the blade was somewhat heavier than the rope knives that I had seen. Now whether or not this makes it a sampler, I can't say, but overall I think this knife has more of the characteristics of a sampler than a rope knife.

[thegreedygulo]

Here's the only cotton sampler I have. It's an H. Boker & Co's Improved Cutlery with cocobolo wood handles.