Tuna Valley Picture Show

Tuna Valley Cutlery Co., Excelsior Knife Co., & Napanoch Knife Co. are three popular brands currently controlled by The Daniels family. These are old names that went dormant for years, but have since been brought back to life with modern offerings. This forum is here to discuss & show off knives & related items with brand names under the Daniels Family umbrella.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by Rookie »

Here are a few shots of the burnt stag sweybelly. These were more of an "autumn" theme, even though it is basically winter now. And check out the nice eggs our chickens give us every afternoon!
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2013-tuna-valley-sweybelly-burnt-01.jpg
2013-tuna-valley-sweybelly-burnt-02.jpg
2013-tuna-valley-sweybelly-burnt-03.jpg
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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Rookie I admire your T V collection and your photography. ::tu::
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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Thanks Phil. I wish my wife would say that to me, hahahah.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

Your knives & your pictures are all absolutely first rate. I would call this 2 blade Stag knife a Large or Jumbo Trapper ?
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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The COA calls it a Large Sweybelly Trapper
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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Only Tuna Valley I own. 2010 47/100, GEC red bone.
GEC004.jpg
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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I love that redbone on those knives. If you take it outside on a sunny day, it stands out like a firetruck. I wish they would release a pattern with jigged bone again, just every once in a while. This was the only knife in the entire Tuna Valley history to use bone.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

Is the large 4 blade Cattle knife the only Tuna Valley made by GEC ? If is a very good looking knife and the jigging is a pattern new to me.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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No, all knives 2007-2010 were GEC made, and 1/2 of the ones in 2012 were GEC made. The other half were from Queen, and anything 2013 - present is from Queen. I wrote in my descriptions on the list thread which company made each.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

Sorry about that. I should have referred to your excellent list. Does the switch from GEC to Queen in 2013 reflect the time that Ken Daniels spent with GEC before buying Queen ?
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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Originally Perry Miller resurrected the name Tuna Valley in 2005 I believe, along with his friend/partner Dave Mullins. And then in 2007 he had GEC make some prototypes. At that time the Daniels were part owners of Great Eastern cutlery. After 2010 Perry sold the name to the Daniels family, with Mullins remaining part owner, and they planned to continue having knives produced by GEC, but ramp up production to more than just 1 pattern per year. But then in mid 2012 the Daniels had the opportunity to purchase Queen, and so the knives made from mid 2012 on were all produced by Queen out of their Schatt & Morgan custom shop.

Today, although Ken and Ryan Daniels do a lot of behind the scenes work, I believe that Ryan's wife, Courtney, is considered the President. And she chooses the patterns for each release, and signs all the CoA slips.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

Thanks for this outline of T.V. recent history. I enjoy the history of knife companies as much as i do the knives.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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Great thread Rookie with many fine contributions. I am not a newer brand collector but these knives are fine!
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by peanut740 »

Those 4 blade cigars were the last knives Perry Miller commissioned before he got sick.They came in red bone and stag and were never delivered to Perry and Daniels acquired the brand.Ryan sent many of them and had the bolsters "hammered".I had a pair of each at one time.They were very nice knives.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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I've been looking for one of the stag ones with the Oiseau bolster engraving for a long time. I've never even seen one in person, and have never heard of one coming up for sale anywhere. Whoever owns those (there are only 15) probably have no intention of selling them. I've got my feelers out trying to locate one.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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And look at that! Finally found one of the knives I've been looking for. The 2012 cigar with the engraved bolsters. The knife is really nice. The stag coloring isn't visually matching, but I'm OK with that. I can only look at 1 side at a time anyways! ::ds::

Couple new shots from the recent thaw between snowstorms.
Attachments
2012-tuna-valley-sunfish-whittler-engraved-burnt-stag01.jpg
2012-tuna-valley-sunfish-whittler-engraved-burnt-stag02.jpg
2012-tuna-congress-stag-etched-01.jpg
2012-tuna-congress-stag-etched-02.jpg
2012-tuna-congress-stag-etched-03.jpg
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by stagman »

I just ran up on this post for the 1st time and all I can say is
"wow" Rookie,,you really put on a show of gorgeous knives that
was really fun to look at !!!
The Stag on several knives is just exceptional !!! Good show !!!
I really did not know much about TV knives till reading yours and KJ's posts...

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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

stagman i have a Tuna Valley EO Jack with very fine mammoth handles listed in the "For Sale" forum. If you would like to own a Tuna Valley knife it is an opportunity to save $100 (or more) on the price.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by Cletus Awreetus »

I picked up this Fish Scaler right here at AAPK from plumbob and it's a real peach. some of the prettiest, most well matched stag scales I've ever seen. walks and talks like my wife at the mall and both are built like a Mack Truck!

*edit: Rookie, absolutely wonderful job you've done here with the pics and the info! thx!!
KJ, if that Mammoth EO Jack is still around when I've got a couple extra bucks burnin a hole I'll be happy to give it a good home because buddy, that is a real sweety right there!! wow!
Attachments
TV 1.JPG
TV 2.JPG
TV 3.JPG
TV 4.JPG
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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stagman wrote:I just ran up on this post for the 1st time and all I can say is
"wow" Rookie,,you really put on a show of gorgeous knives that
was really fun to look at !!!
The Stag on several knives is just exceptional !!! Good show !!!
I really did not know much about TV knives till reading yours and KJ's posts...
Thanks Stagman. Yes, the stag is usually out-of-this-world on the Tuna knives. Part of the reason I like them so much.

KJ, I love the handles on that knife you have for sale!

Cletus, that is a fine looking stag fish scaler. I've bought a few different knives from Plumbob at knife shows during the last few years. And boy he has another dozen or so that I wish I had! He has the largest Tuna Valley collection (inventory) of anyone that I am aware of.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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Some new Tuna knives for me. First is the 2012 lockback with clip blade in amber stag (made by GEC). The 2nd is the newly released 2018 humpback whittler in mammoth ivory. This run was some of the last knives to come out of the Queen factory before they stopped production.
Attachments
2012-tuna-valley-lockback-clip-amber-01-lo.jpg
2012-tuna-valley-lockback-clip-amber-02-lo.jpg
2018-tuna-valley-humpback-mammoth-01-lo.jpg
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

Whoa, i sure like the 2012 Lockback 1
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by Rookie »

I got some nice photos today of some Tuna knives.
2009 burnt stag trapper
2014 amber stag gunstock
2015 amber stag railsplitter
2018 ivory humpback whittler
Attachments
2009-tuna-valley-trapper03.jpg
2014-tuna-gunstock-amber-01.jpg
2014-tuna-gunstock-amber-02.jpg
2015-tuna-valley-railsplitter-amber-stag4.jpg
2018-tuna-valley-humpback-mammoth-02.jpg
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

Post by kootenay joe »

WOW ! times 4 !
Queen is Tops for the best of handle materials.
I think the Tuna Valley knives might one day be seen as the best Queen made knives of the last 75 years and thus become even more collectible.
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Re: Tuna Valley Picture Show

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I agree, the handle material is top grade. As good on some pieces as to what custom knife makers use.
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