Marble's Canoe

Webster Marble formed Gladstone Mfg. Co. in 1892. That company created the first folding Axe in 1893 which lead to the incorporation of Marble's Safety Axe Co. in 1898. The company became Marble Arms & Mfg. Co. in 1911 & enjoyed years of success until succumbing to a shut down of production in 1974. The brand was brought back to life in 1994 & enjoyed a grand rejuvenation that later gave way to another shutdown in 2009. Many great knives & tools were crafted over the company's storied history.
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stagman
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Marble's Canoe

Post by stagman »

Thought you Marble's fans would like to see a knife that that you do not hear
much of mentioned,, the Canoe.....
They are close to Marble's famous Ideal, but just a
a wee bit smaller version of the Marble's Ideal....
Vintage ones bring in huge $$$....1000's if you will
When Mike Stewart went off and started Bark River knives, after several years
and as Marble's was about to go bankrupt,, he
got a hold of app. 100 old blades that were stored at the Gladstone
factory, reground them and made around 6 or so different handle materials
I was lucky to get stag, leather,and bone handles in the Canoe's he made.
This knife is one in stag / leather/stag and is made the closest to identical
of the old Canoe's as possible....vintage ones were made from around
1903 to 1922..excellent shape ones will command upwards of $5000.00 bucks

Stag
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman
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jerryd6818
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Re: Marble's Canoe

Post by jerryd6818 »

Do you know why they're called "Canoe"? Is it because of that huge fuller?
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
Gunsil
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Re: Marble's Canoe

Post by Gunsil »

As an admirer and collector of antique knives I don't think that looks much like an original canoe although it is a nice knife. The handle dimensions are way off from an original and totally upsets the sweet look of the originals. The handle on the repro is at least an inch longer than the originals. To me this indicates the blades cannot be from the pre-1920s days since the tang is way longer than the originals. I have one old one, with a leather grip with aluminum pommel and these bring way less than a grand, the stag/stag ones I have seen have been way less than five grand and I do know an original when I see one. A friend got a leather/stag pommel one for under 800 recently with original drop in sheath. They were called "canoe" models because they were designed as lightweight small knives for folks who did a lot of canoe traveling and camping just as there are smaller hatches that are called "canoe hatchets" or "canoe axes". I guess I am just too antique oriented to really appreciate the "Marbles" knives made under the resurrected company during the 1990s-2000s. They just don't have the "soul" of the originals.
stagman
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Re: Marble's Canoe

Post by stagman »

Being such an expert gunsil..you should know but "failed" to say in your
post that in 1920 they made the handle longer and the blade shorter..
handle was made at 4 1/2" and blade went down to 4 1/4"
the later model being 3/4" longer than the 1st models
And I said "nothing" of Mike Stewart getting "original" Canoe blades
just that he bought some old blades before they went out of business
and made these knives at Bark River as a tribute to the pattern
So do not try to twist my words gunsil, the print in the post does not lie !!!
I have 3 different price lists about worth of old Marble's knives
and all 3 rate a 1st model Canoe, not mint, just excellent condition at $4000.00 bucks
I saw 2 in person at a big Marble's auction in Michigan both reach the $5000.00 dollar price level
Both did have the old tube sheaths with them tho
I am just showing what I think is a nice knife with historical presence for members to have a look at
Every time I post something, you got something spite full to say
Thats "NOT" what AAPK is all about, in case you have not noticed !!!

Stag
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman
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jerryd6818
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Re: Marble's Canoe

Post by jerryd6818 »

stagman wrote:Being such an expert gunsil..you should know but "failed" to say in your
post that in 1920 they made the handle longer and the blade shorter..
handle was made at 4 1/2" and blade went down to 4 1/4"
the later model being 3/4" longer than the 1st models
And I said "nothing" of Mike Stewart getting "original" Canoe blades
just that he bought some old blades before they went out of business
and made these knives at Bark River as a tribute to the pattern
So do not try to twist my words gunsil, the print in the post does not lie !!!
I have 3 different price lists about worth of old Marble's knives
and all 3 rate a 1st model Canoe, not mint, just excellent condition at $4000.00 bucks
I saw 2 in person at a big Marble's auction in Michigan both reach the $5000.00 dollar price level
Both did have the old tube sheaths with them tho
I am just showing what I think is a nice knife with historical presence for members to have a look at
Every time I post something, you got something spite full to say
Thats "NOT" what AAPK is all about, in case you have not noticed !!!

Stag
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman
::tu::
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
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