W.L. Douglas Shoe Company Knife

[raincrowe]

I found a 3 1/2 inch (not including the bail)…two bladed easy opener pattern.. master blade and screwdriver/opener..
The appears to be in very good used condition handles are green and gold shield is marked... W.L. Douglas shoe company
The big blade is stamped...Brockton Mass....
Doing some research on this knife I found some very interesting information on this company and owner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lewis_Douglas
I would like to know if any more knives exist for this company and when it closed
I've never saw another knife by Douglas.....Hopefully someone will some information and show some other knives
when the knife was made and by what company
Oh by the way I just discovered the blade is stamped Brocton Mass....the information lists the city as....Brockton Mass...could be a typo
Thanks

[danno50]

That is a lovely old knife with beautiful celluloid handles. I have never seen that particular celluloid before. Sorry, no information as to maker or age.

[knifeaholic]

1920's era made by Imperial Knife Co. Unusual to see the shoe company name as the tang stamp.

[raincrowe]

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp ... 1.1.0l5j0i
There is a Brocton NY.... but can't find Brocton Mass.....Could it be the knife was made in NY.
Thanks knifeaholic for the information do you know if Douglas shoe is still in business?

[knifeaholic]

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp ... 1.1.0l5j0i
There is a Brocton NY.... but can't find Brocton Mass.....Could it be the knife was made in NY.
Thanks knifeaholic for the information do you know if Douglas shoe is still in business?

Brockton, Massachusetts, south of Boston on Route 24. One of the many old shoe manufacturing towns in this area. Other than Alden, I don't think there are any shoe manufacturers left there.

As I said, the knife was not made in NY but by Imperial of Providence Rhode Island.

[raincrowe]

Thank you knifeaholic don't know what I was thinking sure do appreciate the information

[knife7knut]

Strange that they spell the name without the K in it.I have an old straight razor that has the same spelling of the city of Brockton. I wonder if possibly that was the way it was spelled at the time or they just mis-spelled the name.The stamp is Granese Wakefield Mass on one side and Brocton Special on the other.

[just bob]

I tried to dig a bit on this and didn't come up with anything new to add, but a very similar situation is the Brown Shoe Company of St. Louis that has issued many different patterns of knives. My little reference book shows they were actually made by Camillus via Shapleigh in St. Louis. Even at that I don't think Shapleigh made all of patterns and other knife companies also made some of them. I don't collect these but aren't there many other knives from shoe companies with the companies names on the tang stamp? Here is an easy one I found on Google that was made by Imperial.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... 1808428320

[Mumbleypeg]

Here’s a Brown Shoe Co. St. Louis scout/utility pattern. Still has a “Buster Brown Shoes” shield and faint etch on the master blade.

Ken

[raincrowe]

I found one other knife the online not sure when it was listed or if was sold!!

[Ridgegrass]

Here's an unstamped Easy Open advertiser from Peters Shoes, St. Louis. In 1911 they merged with Roberts, Johnson, and Rand to form International Shoe Co. who also sold Red Goose and Florsheim. The knife, though unstamped, has an "Imperial" look about it, 3-1/8" with 1/2 stops on both blades. Anyone interested in it, please PM me. Thanks J.O'.

[raincrowe]

Nice knife!! Don't believe I've heard about that one!!

[Ridgegrass]

Many shoe companies gave out premiums, Knives, compasses, whistles, rings, toys, etc. As a kid in the early fifties, I had enough "x-ray fittings" to probably glow in the dark. Brown Shoe Company even had a Marbles Woodcraft hunter premium. Not sure what you had to do to qualify for it? J.O'.