Calling LT!!

[upnorth]

LT, or anyone looking if you can help; is this a legitimate Schrade, or a counterfeit?? I've never seen that blade in a switch before, but then, I'm just getting into "button" knives. Thanks!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... Track=true

[Mossdancer]

Hi Upnorth;
The blade is okay it would appear. The use is incorrect IMO, It was not a paratrooper. Check LT's book page 56. Same knife or it looks the same with no bail.
wb

[upnorth]

Do you think the bail is original Mossdancer??

[Mossdancer]

HI;
Can't answer that. You need to hear from L.T. While you have some time take the tang stamp photo number 3 out and blow it up. The stamp looks strange. If you have the book, read what LT has to say re; Schrade Cutco stamps in chap. 4 page 15. I only know what I read and something does not look right with the knife.
wb

[lt632ret]

The knife in question is a sabre blade Schrade cut large hunter ( 1613, 3/4 if memory serves., as has been mentioned, it is in my book . they were not military issue but many were fitted with the bail and lanyard and went to war as personal carry weapons of choice by many soldiers . They are pre 46. If you are contemplating collecting domestic automatics I would suggest a reference to refer to. There are several besides mine. In the mean time here are some pics which show virtually all of the models of Press button,( division of Walden knife under original patents ( 1893 approx) and managment of Geo Schrade until he and his brothers began the Schrade company in 1903 Schrade cut and Schrade walden, as well as the Presto versions by the george Schrade knife company as well as the flylock versions also a firm Geo was affialiated with. As with any subject there is more than just a cursory look needed to understand rarity value ect. depending on the model a small difference in bolsters or some other simple variations can make one model worth a couple of hundred dollars while another almost identical knife worth thousand. Happilly I pretty much have them all. There are others than in these pics but this is the bulk of variations. I have most of the others as well but in a different display I had a friend pass away in 98 his brother died in the battle of the bulge he is buried in France. He gave me his brothers knife which was not issue but was an example of carrying a weapon of choice. it is the pic marked floating derby ( a reference to the swing guard which looks like a derby hat. This knife is a presto with bone handles they came in several other materials.) The guard was made this way so as not to infringe on the straight guard of the Schrade cut versions. As I said there is quite alot to this study. Hope this helps. LT PS tang is correct as is the knife lanyard not unusual.

[upnorth]

That knife probably went for a fair price then. Thanks LT. Collecting these can be an expensive undertaking.
Great displays, BTW. The curved knife at the top of csae numbered 5 looks quite different. Is that a switchblade also? I can't blow it up enough to see the details.

[lt632ret]

All of the knives in these cases are automatics and make up a segment of my collection of these. That knife is the civil war one arm mans knife actually it came out after the civil war in the 1890 tys ( notice the mech is a Walden press button.) An amputee could cut meat with one side and the other was a fork. it opened automaticly and had embossed aluminium handles. Aluminium was considered a semi precious metal then due to difficulty then in its manufacture . Most were marked Press button Knife Walden NY however some carried the name of prostetic firms which sold them they usually bring a premium sometimes to 1000 dollars. Regular Waldens may fetch near that as well.

Whoops i just realized that was the wrong knife ( curved through me. ) I will leave the response. The knife in 5 is an Austrian pre guild auto made before unions and guilds as a cottage industry in Austria. A friend of mine in europe, picked iy up for me. If you look at the back you can see where the marrow of the bone was. Middle 18 hundreds. One uncle might have been a black smith another relative dyed and shaped the bone ect. It has scroll work in the blade put in when it was forged.

[upnorth]

Thanks for the explanation, and for the astounding display! Those knives are very nicely displayed!!!

Who is your interior designer??

[LRV]

I gotta brag a little. I had the chance of getting up close to these and LT's other knives a couple of times now. What he has shown us here on the chats is dwarfed by the experiance of seeing them in person.
I might have said it before but never enough.
TTYL
larry