All About Pocket Knives

James, a shadow pattern folder is where the folder has NO bolsters or is bolsterless. Yours looks like it is somewhat of a subtle sleeve board design. I would call yours then a sleeve board shadow pattern Whittler. Could be a split back if it has a wedge separating the springs although some Whittler patterns are not spilt back. Some say the shadow pattern is a weak design without the rigidity the bolsters add. However, if the front pivot pin is correctly peened and the tang fitted well to the handles it can be a pretty strong folder especially with modern synthetic handles. Probably not so much on a 100+ year old folder with stressed bone.

Lloyd, couple more pics.

Yup James that is a split back Whittler pattern small shadow folder. The tang stamp shows it to be an early Schrade! Very nice and rare

Very nice whittler, there.

Thanks guys. Special knife. Was a gift from a good friend.
Jay

WOW!... I really need to get back here more often!...
Llyod... Thanks for defining what a shadow pattern folder is... that's why I find this board so fascinating... I'm always get to expand my knowledge.
Jay... Those are some really neat knives. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any description about the 3rd knife with the very distinctive file blade. BTW, I really do dig the old vs new photos... I did a similar comparison between a Schrade Cut. Co. & Canal Street Cut. stockmans I have...

Beside the Schrade Walden knives I have in the tubes... I also picked up a 1972 Schrade Walden retail display case I am also on a mission to fill with NOS specimens correct for the period. So far... I have only the 8OT & 34OT... the 25OT slot is currently occupied by a 225H & the 15OT slot is being kept "warm" by a 148 until I can acquire the proper knives... and with the empty slots yet to fill, I'm getting a sense this might end up being a long term project... plus I keep getting distracted by all these other great knives out there... (prelude to my next post.)

Thanks to Roger (peanut740)... today I became the proud owner of this Dwight Devine & Sons' Ulster splitback whittler...
pattern №31550X @ 3⅝" closed with horn handles (1926−41)... I've been drooling all day!
P.S. My photos really don't do the horn handles justice...
[Edit] I guess I should mention that is a newly acquired folding rule... 12" C−S Co. (Chapin−Stephens) of Pine Meadows, Conn. (1901−29) № 65.

Returning with a vengence!!! ...FOUR posts in a row...

Back in April, I attended my first knife show and the Lehigh Valley Knife Show's first spring-time show. There was a dealer that had a dozen or so old knife boxes he was selling for $80 a piece... New York Knife Co., Keen Kutter, & others... for the old Schrade Cutlery he wanted $90. Seemed a bit much to me, but I'm new to this hobby & this was my first exposure to these types of items. It seems odd to me that the boxes should sell for as much as the knives that came in them!

Later on that afternoon, I stopped in an antique shop in a nearby town and found an Ulster Knife Co. box for only $14. Granted it does not have any fancy graphics on it, but needless to say it came home with me as my real prize of the day. It doesn't show up in the photo but on the side label it is printed with the Supplee-Biddle Hardware Company (Philadelphia) as the retailer... which supports the time period for the box to be between 1914−41.

Nice knives Ken!

You made a good score on that Ulster box

Ken, very nice Divine true split back Whittler pattern folder and that Ulster box is great—especially for that price

Ken, love the horn handles on the Ulster. This is a keeper for sire Great box as well.

KAW wrote:Thanks to Roger(peanut740)... today I became the proud owner of this Dwight Devine & Sons' Ulster splitback whittler... pattern №31550X @ 3⅝" closed with horn handles (1926−41)... I've been drooling all day!
P.S. My photos really don't do the horn handles justice...

Your welcome Ken.

Nice knives, Ken.

That Dwight Divine with the double pulls and the recess at the nail nick is a fine knife. Very fine!

Very nice, Ken!

Thanks all for the kind comments.
[Edit] I starting to think that the double pull on the master blade of the Ulster whittler was not originally intended. I'm thinking the nail nick was added after discovering the blade can not be opened by the match pull. As try as I might, I can not get the blade to open by the pull so close to the tang... the double spring is way too stiff.

Picked up a Honk Falls nutter. Only about 2 1/2” closed. Very strong little knife.

James... Very nice... & no doubt pretty rare! I just found an Ulster nutter on eBay that explains what a nutter is...

So ... this rooster walks in to the bar and the bartender says " why the long face"? ....................

Thanks Ken. I have two friends who have a Honk Falls nutter in their collection. I have see another one on the web. That makes four with mine. That actually makes this pattern the most common one I have seen. The seller I purchased this nutter from has sold me several honks that were dead mint and crazy rare finds. When he offered to sell this nutter he said the same thing. That it is very rare and he proceeded to double the price of the previous knives?? I did not argue though, he was on the fence about letting it go. What can you do. It’s an unused honk, clear tang stamp and pulls a little hard like it just came from the factory. Just bit the bullet and sent the loot.
Joe I’m cant figure out if that rooster joke is missing a beginning or an end but it’s funny.

I see there's a recently active thread about Ulster knives, but decided to selfishly post to my own...

Just came back from a trip to Virginia. Little did I expect to find a small treasure of Ulster knives while hitting the antique shops there.

...but first an eBay acquisition I made just before leaving & was waiting for me upon my return...
this gentleman's pen knife come in at just under 3" with a file opposite the pen blade.
The seller claims the handle is faux tortoise shell, but how can you tell?



Then while down in Virginia I found this neat ole Ulster barlow with bone handles. Altho the main spear blade has lost all its snap, both blades look nearly full...



...and then this Dewight Devine & Sons Ulster Boy Scout knife in really fine shape (far better condition than the Ulster Scout I posted earlier in this thread!) Since Devine reorganized the company to include his sons in 1926, I'm assuming this tang stamp dates from then until his sons sold the company to Baer in 1941. So would that mean the Ulster Knife Co. tang stamp without the Devine & Sons name would pre-date 1926 such as the two examples above?



... then I found a couple of Schrade's Ulster line stockman patterns. The smaller №355S at 3¼" and without a shield in the "black stagged" handles is actually older (mid−50's) but I believe was never carried... while the larger 4" №98 with "Genuine Staglon® handles is from the late 1960's until the line was discontinued in 1972.



... so there you go.... 5 Ulsters... all very reasonably priced... and I found a Prince Albert tobacco tin with the Ulster "Old Timer" knives offer for only $4...



Now I just have to get the knives... which have gone for some outrageous sums of $$$ on eBay lately...
... not to mention bringing home a Schrade Scrimshaw Outdoors series display case I now need to fill... the quest goes on...

Nice knives you got there, Ken. And neat tobacco tin too.

Here is a very nice New York Hammer Brand pen knife. No half stops. 3 5/16" closed.

Here is a sweet little Wharncliffe shadow pen.
New York Knife Co. Walden. 2 15/16" closed.

Mark side appears to be cracked or scratched. It isn't. That just rubbed off. Wish I had seen that before the glamour shot.

Joe very nice/attractive Vintage Hammer Brand & NYKC Pen Knives Nicely Photographed also!

Joe It has to be more than coincidence that you posted on my birthday...
Yes that's some very nice bone on that very traditional looking NYK pen knife...
& the MoP Wharncliffe shadow pen has some real character to it.

Also more than coincidence is after ogling after the Kingston you posted early on in this thread, I came across a similar one at an antique show at the Warren County fairgrounds in NJ at the end of last month. Just imagine my delight....



Actually I really hit the jackpot that day... one dealer had some pocket folders thrown into a box on a table & I decided to sort through them. Not only did I find the Kingston... but this 80 to 90 year old Dwight Devine & Sons' Ulster equal end cattle knife with MoP handles. The blades edges still sharp enough that I've been carrying it ever since.



... then I found a rare one to boot... a Wardlow Cutlery Co. / Walden NY jack. Don't know anything about this one. Definitely has seen some hard times and I usually stay away from such worn out knives but the mystery as well as someone bothering to sharpen the secondary blade right down to the nail nick intrigued me. Besides I couldn't pass on the $20 price for all three....