Camillus WWII and before!

The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States with roots dating back to 1876. The company manufactured Camillus branded knives and was a prolific contractor for other knife brands up until its last days in 2007 when the company filed for bankruptcy.
Post Reply
coffeecup
Posts: 1367
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 4:15 am

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by coffeecup »

Floridian1, that first one is WWII era. Cole's has it as an "Army Air Corps and Navy Sheath Knife". You might want to peek at the thread here: http://allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_f ... 63&t=19366

Jim
User avatar
floridian1
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 5:21 pm

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by floridian1 »

Thanks, I researched for a few weeks and had read that artical. I can't remember where I read but I thought it was WWI b/c of the arched first line but WWII sounds more realistic to the family timeline with knives and pipes. Grandfather was an Army paratrooper in the 508th during that time. Thanks for clarifying. Jeff

How about the second one? What is that one? Sorry but I don't collect knives. These have been in a box for 30/40 years.
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

The second is a jack pattern, probably made in the 1960s or 1970s.
There may be a pattern number on the back of the main blade.
The handles are a synthetic material, not bone.
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
floridian1
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 5:21 pm

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by floridian1 »

which thread should I post the others. would other members or yourself mind if I posted pics of the ones I have to help ID them? Thanks
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

If they are Camillus, post them in this thread: http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... &start=600

If they are other brands, just post them in the General Knife forum. ::tu::
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
WelderBob
Posts: 1110
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:49 am
Location: missouri ozarks

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by WelderBob »

Here are a couple oldie's, a swell center with arch stamp's on both blades and a jack with arch stamp master and straight line on the pen...I love the shields on these... :)

Bob
Attachments
Camillus 2 011.JPG
Camillus 2 012.JPG
Camillus 2 002.JPG
Camillus 2 006.JPG
Camillus 2 001.JPG
Camillus 2 005.JPG
Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
User avatar
tjmurphy
Posts: 11129
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:41 pm
Location: South of Cincinnati

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by tjmurphy »

Oooooooo-Weeeeee!! Nice one's Bob ::tu:: ::tu::
"There are none so blind as those that refuse to see"

God Bless America - Though I don't know why he would want to.
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

Those are beauties Bob! ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu:: ::drool::
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
travman
Posts: 140
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:58 am
Location: central mass

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by travman »

WOW....those are some beuties :mrgreen:
User avatar
WelderBob
Posts: 1110
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:49 am
Location: missouri ozarks

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by WelderBob »

Thanks guys, I have a soft spot for old Camillus... ::nod::

This Ebony cokebottle has steel liners and bolsters plus a shield thats 2" long!
Attachments
Camillus CB 002.JPG
Camillus CB 004.JPG
Camillus CB 007.JPG
Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

Another beauty Bob!
Is that an early 3 line tang stamp?
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

Yesterday I got pictures from carrmillus of a 4 line Camillus sun fish or elephant toenail as some people call them.

I told carrmillus I would post the pics for him, so here they are so he can comment on them.
Attachments
Cam E-toe a.jpg
Cam E-toe b.jpg
Cam E-toe c.jpg
Cam E-toe d.jpg
Cam E-toe e.jpg
Cam E-toe f.jpg
Cam E-toe g.jpg
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
carrmillus
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 6293
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:22 pm
Location: tupelo, miss.

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by carrmillus »

...dale, thanks for posting these photos for me!!.... ::tu:: .....this has got to be one of the top three(along with my 4line split backspring whittler and my 4line take- apart hobo knife) camillus knives in my collection of 109 camillus knives. took me 12 years to find this one. an older(92 yrs. old) friend told me he doesn't think camillus produced this pattern later than the late '20's. if anyone knows for sure, please let me know. if anyone has any info on it, please comment!!..thanks again, dale!!!...
User avatar
WelderBob
Posts: 1110
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:49 am
Location: missouri ozarks

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by WelderBob »

Now thats a dandy Carrmillus... ::drool:: ...I would love to find one of those... ::nod::

Dale I'm not real sure about the stamp, it looks identical to the sunfish minus the USA. The Goins' book I have does not show this stamp, being all steel construction with ebony handles and lanyard hole I'm thinking 1920 to 1930...and I could be way off.
Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
User avatar
carrmillus
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 6293
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:22 pm
Location: tupelo, miss.

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by carrmillus »

..bob, you're right about the stamp, it looks like the 1919-1941 stamp minus the "usa". it doesn't have a lanyard hole and the handles are brown rogers bone. the bolsters don't take much of a shine, so i'm thinking they are steel...........
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

carrmillus wrote: the bolsters don't take much of a shine, so i'm thinking they are steel...........
I use a magnet to check old bolsters I think are steel.



Bob-
Based in the info I have from Tom Williams and on a knife that I can date to 1932, my hypothesis is the 3 line stamp that is like the 4 line stamp, minus the USA, I think the 4 line stamp was introduced about 1933.



This 3 line tang stamp is from one of the George Washington quill knives in my collection. Camillus reproduced these in 1932. It is the same stamp as the 4 line without the forth line, the USA.
1932 Camillus Geo Washington tang.jpg
1932 Camillus Geo Washington tang.jpg (39.81 KiB) Viewed 3037 times


We are fortunate that Camillus made some knives in 1933 for the Worlds Fair. As you can see it is the same 4 line tang stamp used until 1946.
1933 Worlds Fair knife Cam Tang.jpg
1933 Worlds Fair knife Cam Tang.jpg (25.86 KiB) Viewed 3037 times

Based on the two examples easily dated to 1932 & 1933 it is fairly easy to see that Camillus in all likelihood introduced the 4 line tang stamp in late 1932 or 1933. I think 1933 is the most likely date. The new stamp was most likely introduced at the beginning of the year with new patterns.

I think it is most probable the 3 line tang stamp (as seen on the George Washington knife) was introduced after WW I.
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

Here is one I picked up and just got cleaned up.
Camillus 4 line USA camper a.jpg
Camillus 4 line USA camper b.jpg
Not a lot of rust on the inside surprisingly.
Camillus 4 line USA camper c.jpg
I think it could still use some more cleaning.
Camillus 4 line USA camper d.jpg
It has the standard WW II era 4 line tang stamp though it is a bit faint.
I had to set the scanner up to 1200 dpi to get this scan.
The tang stamp is mostly there but staining and rubbing on the tang makes it hard to get a good scan of it.
Camillus 4 line USA camper tang.jpg
To my amazement there is good snap to all the blades, even the spear blade!
Admittedly the snap of the spear blade is not as strong as the other blades, but it has more snap than most new Old Timers (due to the Swinden Key construction Old Timers don't snap as much IMHO).







Here is another knife that probably belongs here.
It has the Sword Brand tang stamp which was probably made prior to 1946 (according to Tom Williams).
The handles are celluloid that have striations in it making it resemble horn.
Camillus Sword Brand farmer jack a.jpg
Camillus Sword Brand farmer jack b.jpg
Here is the tang stamp.
Camillus Sword Brand farmer jack tang d.jpg
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
WelderBob
Posts: 1110
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:49 am
Location: missouri ozarks

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by WelderBob »

I like that farmers jack Dale...those handles look to be in good shape, I thought they were buffalo horn at first. ::tu::
Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
stockman
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 4116
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:19 pm

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by stockman »

My E-Toe. I have shown it before. Hope a encore is ok.

Stockman
Attachments
Cam E-Toe pile side.jpg
Cam mark side.jpg
User avatar
carrmillus
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 6293
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:22 pm
Location: tupelo, miss.

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by carrmillus »

.......stockman, looks like we got twins!!!........... ::tu:: ................
User avatar
WelderBob
Posts: 1110
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:49 am
Location: missouri ozarks

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by WelderBob »

Stockman that is one very nice knife... ::tu:: ::drool:: ...outstanding bone, the kind of knife that I dream of finding... ::nod::


Bob
Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
stockman
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 4116
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:19 pm

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by stockman »

Thanks Bob, Stockman
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

I looked back through all the 19 pages of this topic and I have 2 or 3 that belong here that I have not posted here. I will post them as I get time. If I have posted them in this thread before, I apologize for the repetition.


The blades on this knife are pretty worn, but the bone is gorgeous and the propeller shield makes it even more attractive in my opinion. It has the Sword Brand stamp on the master blade and the 4 line stamp on the pen blade.

The bone is about the color of Rogers’s bone, but the jigging looks different. Maybe someone knows if it was one of Roger’s jigging patterns as well.
Attachments
Camillus Sword Brand bone jack 3 line a.jpg
Camillus Sword Brand bone jack 3 line d.jpg
Camillus Sword Brand bone jack 3 line b.jpg
Camillus Sword Brand bone jack 3 line c.jpg
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
orvet
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 19885
Joined: Tue May 16, 2006 6:23 am
Location: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by orvet »

Here is another easy open jack with an early 3 line tang stamp.
Too bad the pen blade is broken. I could replace it but I don't have a pen blade with this 3 line stamp.
Pretty old bone and a nice shield!
Camillus EO bone jack 3 line a.jpg
Camillus EO bone jack 3 line b.jpg
Camillus EO bone jack 3 line c.jpg



Come on guys, lets see some more of your old Camillus'.
Surely you aren't out of them yet?
Dale
AAPK Administrator

Please visit my AAPK store: www.allaboutpocketknives.com/orvet

Job 13:15

"Buy more ammo!" - Johnnie Fain
“Evil is Powerless If The Good are Unafraid.” – Ronald Reagan
User avatar
WelderBob
Posts: 1110
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:49 am
Location: missouri ozarks

Re: Camillus WWII and before!

Post by WelderBob »

That is pretty bone and I like those shield's... ::tu::

I've got a EO Camillus but it's a military model with bail...if that one was mine it would end up a one blade... ::nod::
Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
Post Reply

Return to “Camillus Cutlery Collector's Forum”