Very rare Camillus

[bronze4u]

This just in guys! I snagged this Camillus ring turn knife last week. It just arrived today.

I did not know it would be such a beast in size, if compared to my 60+ other ring turns. WOW!

Cheers,

Kirk

[edge213]

Very cool, never have seen one.

[SteelMyHeart85420]

Sweet

[FRJ]

Very nice clean old knife.

[bronze4u]

Very cool, never have seen one.

Thanks! Yeah me neither. Had to grab it once I saw it.

[bronze4u]

Sweet

[bronze4u]

Very nice clean old knife.

Thanks, yes it is really a nice knife. Very well made as well.

[Old Folder]

WOW Kirk.
Never knew that beauty ever existed. Such good shape also

[kootenay joe]

You do not show back side of knife. I presume it also has a twist ring opener ? I ask because of the ease-out notch which gives access to the secondary nail nick. Do you have other ring twist knives with an ease out notch ?
kj

[carrmillus]

.....that is indeed very rare!!....great knife!!!.......... ........................

[bronze4u]

WOW Kirk.
Never knew that beauty ever existed. Such good shape also

Right? I had never even seen, or heard of one before myself. And I hunt them all the time.

Thanks for the comment

Kirk

[bronze4u]

You do not show back side of knife. I presume it also has a twist ring opener ? I ask because of the ease-out notch which gives access to the secondary nail nick. Do you have other ring twist knives with an ease out notch ?
kj

Yes it has a ring (both sides) The notch is only on the smaller pen blade side, as you wouldn't access the blade nick without (on that side) As seen in photos.. You can access the big blades nick.

I do have the others pictured which have blade handle notches, some just one, some have two. Funny you asked, I just purchased the IXL George Wostenholm, Sheffiled, Yesterday. It has two notches.

Thank you for asking!

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Cheers,

Kirk

[bronze4u]

.....that is indeed very rare!!....great knife!!!.......... ........................

Thanks!

I think so!

Kirk

[Tsar Bomba]

That is an outstanding and undoubtedly super-rare knife, Kirk. Clean, crisp, and with fantastic old bones. You've got quite the ring-turn collection as we've seen but I have to imagine this one's going to hold a special place. As a big Camillus fan who doesn't know ring turners from ring toss, I'd still love to have a beauty like that.

You do not show back side of knife. I presume it also has a twist ring opener ? I ask because of the ease-out notch which gives access to the secondary nail nick. Do you have other ring twist knives with an ease out notch ?

kj, you read my thoughts.

[kootenay joe]

"kj, you read my thoughts"

Yes, and we got an answer too: ring turners often have an ease out for the secondary nail nick. Makes my day when i learn a new to me knife fact.
kj

[bronze4u]

That is an outstanding and undoubtedly super-rare knife, Kirk. Clean, crisp, and with fantastic old bones. You've got quite the ring-turn collection as we've seen but I have to imagine this one's going to hold a special place. As a big Camillus fan who doesn't know ring turners from ring toss, I'd still love to have a beauty like that.

You do not show back side of knife. I presume it also has a twist ring opener ? I ask because of the ease-out notch which gives access to the secondary nail nick. Do you have other ring twist knives with an ease out notch ?

kj, you read my thoughts.

Hey , thanks so much! I think it most likely is super rare, and in this condition blows my mind! It already does hold a special place in my entire knife collection! It stands way out as well. Since it is much larger than any of my 60+ ring turn knives. Like the child that is unusually big for their age in a group of children. Lol I have a special story about how I came to find this unique knife. I might post the story later.

Thanks for the comments,

Kirk

[bronze4u]

Hey guys, I thought I would share this story about finding this most unique and rare ring turn, as well one other bone ring turn the very next day. Both style ring turns I have hunted for at least 8 months, without any success whatsoever. Until recently I had a best friend since the 7th grade. We both collected knives our entire lives and this was a real 'brother to me' Unfortunately, he died of Cancer a few weeks ago. Too young at 57 years old. Anyhow, it's been rough. (I am strong and sadly getting used to the stages of grief, lost both parents way too young as well.) Anyhow, as I was doing my daily ring turn hunt last week. I had given up on ever locating any ring turn with a bone/stag handle. I only knew of two makers that I had seen produce any with jigged bone scales. This was Vom Cleff & Co., and W.H. Morley. So I have typed them in on searches a million times! I had only seen the Morley on E Bay and it had a snapped off blade, plus cracked scales. No good! So back to my story. I was setting there searching online and thinking about "I how I wondered if my buddy was still here?" I looked up on the wall at some of my passed mothers artwork and thought of her again as well.. I then spoke out loud to my fallen best friend, Steve. Saying out loud." If you are there buddy, please give me a sign, show me a jigged bone scaled ring turn knife Steve." I then thought to myself and him "If I find a bone handled ring turn, then I will know you are here with us Steve, and that you are good to go." What followed next I have written below. I know this is a lot of writing.. But I am still in awe of what happened the day I asked him for a sign. I don't want this to seem like a stupid 'material' thing. I asked him not because I really had to have the bone ring turn knife. But because WE BOTH loved knives and collected them. So I knew this would relate if I asked him for the bone scaled ring turn. I had no idea that in 15 minutes more of searching such an amazingly rare knife and knives would come my way. I am positive now my best friend of 45 years, is still here and gave me a 'knife nod' for sure! R.I.P. Steve....Thanks buddy!

*Sorry if repetitive guys.. the story bellow I wrote right after it all happened, or arrived I should say...

Hi - thought I would tell you something pretty amazing that happened this week. Which sent some major spiritual chills up my back! I collect antique and vintage knives. Steve collected knives as well, and we had a real bond there when it came to knives, since 7th grade. Anyhow, I have been collecting these small knives called ring turn knives. Very small pocket knives. (Most were made with all metal handles. However, there are some with mother of pearl handles. But these are hard to find. I have found seven of those in my near year of collecting this particular style knife. They all can date back as far as late 1800's. Most early 1900's - 60's? So, I had been searching daily for near a year for a 'ring tone' knife with bone/stag bone handles. These are super rare and near impossible to locate one. (And if you do find one, it's broken down with cracked bone handles or missing blades. So I was setting here two days ago doing my word searches for my ring turn knives. I have given up on even word searching for a bone handled one. So I am sitting here thinking of Steve and how much I miss him. I look up at artwork my mother made who has passed as well. I think think out loud to Steve, and say out loud "Show me a sign buddy, show me a sign by letting me find this rare type of knife that I cannot find." I know it sounds weird as it is a material thing? But I thought if for real and knew if somehow he was still here with us, then he might show me through our hobby of collecting knives. I then typed in the standard search words I type in daily for 'ring turn knives'. Only minutes later as I scroll through ebays knives, I do a double take as I think I scroll past something? I go back and right there in front of me is not only a ring turn knife with the sought after bone handles.. It is a famous maker's name knife, that even collectors of the brand had never seen nor heard of them making one of this style knives! It was up for bid, with no bidding yet. I then contacted the seller , made an offer and he agreed. The Camillus, knife arrived and is the most amazing ring turn I have seen! It is from at least 1920-40's and looks mint/new! It is also two, to three times bigger than any other ring turn anyone has seen, and is extremely rare! Was this a sign from Steve, giving me the clue that he has indeed been there with us? Now get this, the very next day some knife guy emails me and says he has a bone handled antique W.H. Morley ring turn, and sells it to me! Two of the very knife styles I could not find, and many knife guys say are rare, or nearly unheard of, especially the Camillus!

CAMILLUS CUTLERY

W.H. MORLEY

[RobesonsRme.com]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting the authenticity of the OP knife. Neither ring-turn knives nor Camillus are within the areas of interest I have in pocketknives.

Just curious. Is it possible for a standard pocketknife to be turned into a ring-turn knife by a skilled craftsman?

Charlie Noyes

[npeters3]

That is a very cool story!!! Thanks for sharing.

[bronze4u]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting the authenticity of the OP knife. Neither ring-turn knives nor Camillus are within the areas of interest I have in pocketknives.

Just curious. Is it possible for a standard pocketknife to be turned into a ring-turn knife by a skilled craftsman?

Well, we do know these are 'authentic', as I have seen the Camillus before... And the W.H. as well were both manufactured at some point in time..

However, anything can be done if the guy is skilled and has the knowledge and tools needed to fabricate the spindles, etc.
Though I am not sure using an already constructed pocket knife would be worth the effort needed, or as possible as just starting from scratch.

If anyone would turn a pocket knife into a ringer turn, id say as a master knife craftsman and artist Bill DeShivs.. He could do it!

Charlie Noyes

[bronze4u]

That is a very cool story!!! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, I appreciate you saying so.

Yeah, I am still feeling blown away by what transpired within minutes...

Best regards,

KM

[bronze4u]

MORE PHOTOGRAPHY OF RARE CAMILLUS CUTLERY, RING TURN KNIFE

This thing is a beautiful piece of work.. super well made. Sorry I couldn't resist posting more!

Enjoy!

Kirk

[kootenay joe]

It really is a beautiful knife; single spring and oval shape is most attractive.
That no one else here has seen this one before, i think customized Camillus is a possibility. Camillus had an in-house "Custom Shop" although i don't know if it goes back to before WW II, which i think your knife is.
kj

[Tsar Bomba]

Kirk, that is an outstanding and touching story and I'm glad that these knives have such a heartfelt and important story behind them; they are truly priceless by that metric even putting aside their obvious rarity and quality. Thank you for sharing them again, and that Worley is nearly as fantastic as the Camillus. Is that some early Rogers I'm seeing on the Morley (still can't tell for sure on the Camillus, either from bone wear or "polishing", but it doesn't look like the various kinds of Rogers bone I've seen in my meager experience).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting the authenticity of the OP knife. Neither ring-turn knives nor Camillus are within the areas of interest I have in pocketknives.
Just curious. Is it possible for a standard pocketknife to be turned into a ring-turn knife by a skilled craftsman?

I imagine anything is possible with some of the knife ninjas we have and we've read about here. While I feel the same about the ring-turns as you do, Charlie, I personally know that the Worley is a real-deal knife, it is actually a grail knife of someone I've chatted with in another knife/"edged things" forum which he semi-recently acquired. I had a similar thought about the big Camillus but didn't see much evidence to suggest it had been apart and retooled in such a dramatic fashion, plus the ring hardware seems to fit the rest of the knife. It must be far more difficult to take parts and rejigger them into a ring turner, I figure.

[Old Folder]

Wonderful story Kirk. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry for your loss. Steve is not only with you, he is also with us now also.
Now I have another knife to put on my "Wish List"