Vintage Gnarly Stag Handles

[LongBlade]

Congrats on that one John ... Not sure why but somehow my auto eBay searches for these knives never showed it (probably because of key words that were used by seller) or I would have been bidding - holiday or not ... glad you got it John ....

[JohnR]

Thanks Lee, was very happy to get this one,don't think I've ever seen one with this thick of stag.

[doglegg]

Happy for you JohnR, can't wait to see the pictures. Great knife.

[ObsidianEdge]

Pretty cool knife JohnR at a great price! Congrats. I enjoy this thread.

[RobesonsRme.com]

John, I apologize for stealing your thunder by posting the auction photos before you even received your knife.

I will try to hold fire in the future until a reasonable time has passed.

Charlie Noyes

[JohnR]

John, I apologize for stealing your thunder by posting the auction photos before you even received your knife.

I will try to hold fire in the future until a reasonable time has passed.

Charlie Noyes

No apologies necessary Charlie, I rather enjoyed seeing it pop up in this thread.

[JohnR]

Received the knife today and it is even more impressive in hand, fat stag, good snap, no play, close to full blade, hasn't been ground on or buffed, did I mention FAT stag. gave it a mineral oil bath and took some pics
Not able to find a whole lot on Shirley's Celebrated OIO Cutlery, as Charlie stared 1865 or so and the majority of knives I can find are Bowie's. Wonder what OIO stands for.
Can't wait to get it on a buffer and shine it up

[Mumbleypeg]

That's a grand old knife John! Outstanding example of the cutler's skill and artistry, no doubt made from a single piece of antler. And the bolsters are superb.

Ken

By the way, I like it!

[BWT]

Very nice John, I love those old knives and the stag is outstanding

[RobesonsRme.com]

Boy Howdy! Did you make that stag look better.

Very nice.

I will personally destroy your buffer if you do that.

Charlie Noyes

[LongBlade]

Lovely John ... curious as to whether there is integrated liners and bolster?? While in general that indicates 1860 or earlier according to Levine I do think a few old Sheffield cutlers carried it on forward a few more years...

[galvanic1882]

Great knife! Glad you got it.

[JohnR]

Thank you everyone,I was pretty glad myself when my bid won and pretty impressed when I opened the box. It was pretty dry and dirty but the mineral oil bath and a soft toothbrush helped a lot, don't worry, no buffer

Lee, it does have integral bolsters and I'm also pretty sure the handles are a single piece of stag cut in half.

[Rookie]

Wonderful looking knife John! As great as the pictures look, I imagine you really have to hold that one in hand to fully appreciate it.

[QTCut5]

Not sure of the vintage, but there's definitely some "gnarl" on this stag Carl Schlieper German Eye Mini Trapper (closed length = 3.75").

~Q~

[Miller Bro's]

Q, fairly modern compared to most of the knives in this forum but regardless of age that's some pretty nice stag on those handles!

[QTCut5]

Q, fairly modern compared to most of the knives in this forum but regardless of age that's some pretty nice stag on those handles!

Yup...I knew it wasn't exactly "vintage" by comparison...but, since I just like gnarly stag of any age, I thought I'd share it anyway. Glad to know you liked seeing it too.

Here's another one that I posted earlier in this thread which, although it's not even remotely vintage, is by far the most gnarliest stag I have ever seen on a knife. It's one of my favorites and one which will definitely eventually become vintage one day (while still in my possession...if I live long enough).

Now THAT'S some gnarly stag!!

~Q~

[Miller Bro's]

Here's another one that I posted earlier in this thread which, although it's not even remotely vintage, is by far the most gnarliest stag I have ever seen on a knife. It's one of my favorites and one which will definitely eventually become vintage one day (while still in my possession...if I live long enough).

Yes it is gnarly, and they torched it too!

[QTCut5]

Yes they did, although very lightly (like a perfectly toasted marshmallow over a campfire). I generally prefer stag that has not been torched, scorched, toasted, braised or burned; but, I still prefer stag handles in almost any condition over most any other handle material...except for ivory. Ivory is number one, followed closely by stag...especially gnarly stag.

~Q~

[PCwizard]

Q, fairly modern compared to most of the knives in this forum but regardless of age that's some pretty nice stag on those handles!

Yup...I knew it wasn't exactly "vintage" by comparison...but, since I just like gnarly stag of any age, I thought I'd share it anyway. Glad to know you liked seeing it too.

Here's another one that I posted earlier in this thread which, although it's not even remotely vintage, is by far the most gnarliest stag I have ever seen on a knife. It's one of my favorites and one which will definitely eventually become vintage one day (while still in my possession...if I live long enough).

P9020028.JPGP9020029.JPGP9020031.JPGP9020032.JPGP9020030.JPG

~Q~

Those are some great looking handles !!!

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Pretty good stag on this schrade walden, smoothed over during years of carry, which gives it nice warm character.

[doglegg]

Paul you have nothing ugly!!!

[Steve Warden]

CAN I GET A NAPKIN HERE?!?!?

Ya got me droolin' Paul!

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Paul you have nothing ugly!!!

You don't want me to open that can of worms.


Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

[bladecollectorr]

I very much enjoyed seeing all the oldies. Stag is one of my favorite handle materials each piece being a one-off. No two knives the same.

I read somewhere that older Sambar knives used antlers from older wild deer compared to today. I can't confirm if that's true but the older knives do seem to have more "popcorn" making them much bumpier generally. Maybe the really good stuff was just more affordable back then. I dunno. Don't quote me.

All these are Schrade.

Ones that meet my "gnarly" threshold: