Old Rope Knives

[BWT]

Very nice Dimitri,nice find

[Miller Bro's]

Thank you gentlemen!

[LongBlade]

Well I have had this one on my list for a long time but was searching for the right one in terms of condition, price etc... yesterday the stars aligned in the "hunt" including selling a knife which made this possible ...

Classic Miller Bro's Rope knife in larger size at 4 3/4" with a pretty full blade & only lightly sharpened - no cracks in bone, brass lanyard still intact and just some age spots..

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Guess I have a small collection going with some variety too - Here's my few others under rope knives:

Russell "Green River" - Stag Handle - 4 1/4"

Thomaston Knife Co Sailor's or Navy Jack - 3 1/4"

H&B New England Whaler - Horn handle - 3 1/2" - Big thank you to espn77 (Keith) for this kind knife bomb awhile back now

[FRJ]

That's a lot bigger than the one we looked at, and nicer too. That's a real beauty, Lee.
And the others are beauties too.

[gsmith7158]

Wow Lee ! That's a first class MB. Congratulations on that one.

[LongBlade]

Thanks very much Joe and Greg ...

[peanut740]

Lee,they don't get much better than that.

[LongBlade]

Thanks Roger ...

[JohnR]

Lee, love those Miller Bros rope knives, congratulations on adding such a nice one to your collection.

[LongBlade]

Thanks John ... I’m glad I waited it out for some time now to find this one ...

[danno50]

That is a beauty, Lee!

[LongBlade]

Thanks Dan ...

[RobesonsRme.com]

Lee, that’s a great Miller Bros. Congrats.

I donated one in similar condition, many years ago, to the Maritime Museum, housed in the old Customs Building In Newburyport, Massachusetts.

My great, great grandfather left Newburyport in the 1830’s and came South. Sarah and I attended a knife show in Waterbury in 1997 and then went to Newburyport afterward. The museum did not have a sailor’s rope knife on display, so I bought them one at the next knife show I attended and sent it to them with an explanatory letter.

Interestingly, about six years later, I received a letter from them stating they had found the knife and letter, still in its mailing packaging, behind a filing cabinet. They had lost it and it had never been put on display.

I have no idea what they did with it after that. We have not been back up there since.

Charlie Noyes

[LongBlade]

Thank you Charlie ...

Very interesting that your great great grandfather was from Newburyport MA in the 1830s prior to Alabama. It was kind of you to donate that knife! I find it abit disturbing that the package was lost on their premises for 6 years ... Anyway I would hope they still put it on display. If I am up that way I will stop at that Maritime Museum which is one I have never visited. Maybe I will see that Miller Bros rope knife in a display case which would be a good ending to the story ...

[RobesonsRme.com]

My English Congregationalist ancestor was one of the founders of Newbury, Mass in 1634. Newbury was up on "The Green" from the Merrimack River and eventually, the agrarian based Newbury and the seafaring/ship-building based portion on the river separated, creating Newburyport. West Newbury was a later spinoff.

My great, great grandfather and a younger brother left the area in the 1830's and went to Florida to serve in the Seminole wars. Don't know what happened to the younger brother, but Alonzo Brown Noyes became a merchant, The Master of Lights and Collector of Customs at St Marks and Fernandina.

He was a Confederate Major in quartermaster/supplies, apparently a non-combatant role.

We ended up in Birmingham as my grandfather sought different machinist work during hard times.

I would really like to know if they ever did anything with the knife. The reason they contacted me was they wanted a value, so they could issue me a tax deduction. I never answered their letter.

Charlie

[LongBlade]

Very interesting family history Charlie - thanks for sharing it!

[LongBlade]

This was one of the stories where out of the blue a pair of knives popped up around the same time but actually 2 different sellers – and not eBay either … Got lucky finding this more rare little brother of the larger Miller Bros Rope knife (4 3/4”) posted just above… This 4 1/8” smaller version (not a sailors knife which also sported a manicure blade) is no doubt harder to find than the larger MB rope knives. Both knives have jigged bone but note the difference in the color and jigging… I was lucky to find this smaller version with the lanyard ring, perfect bone, strong spring and decent blade that no doubt saw action… Both Miller Bros Rope knives are in last photo… I was quite happy in the end to score the pair …

[KAW]

Well I have had this one on my list for a long time but was searching for the right one in terms of condition, price etc... yesterday the stars aligned in the "hunt" including selling a knife which made this possible ...

It's the age of Aquarius! While I have yet to add one to my collection... I'm enjoying looking at yours!
It may be small... but top notch! .... definitely the far better way to do it than the other way around...

[gsmith7158]

Wow, that's quite a pair Lee! Congratulations.

[doglegg]

Lee, very impressive.

[FRJ]

What a beautiful, smaller, knife, Lee.
Great show.

[LongBlade]

Thanks Ken, Greg, doglegg and Joe ... I can check these off my "list" now ... ..

[Pile Driver]

My English Congregationalist ancestor was one of the founders of Newbury, Mass in 1634. Newbury was up on "The Green" from the Merrimack River and eventually, the agrarian based Newbury and the seafaring/ship-building based portion on the river separated, creating Newburyport. West Newbury was a later spinoff.

My great, great grandfather and a younger brother left the area in the 1830's and went to Florida to serve in the Seminole wars. Don't know what happened to the younger brother, but Alonzo Brown Noyes became a merchant, The Master of Lights and Collector of Customs at St Marks and Fernandina.

He was a Confederate Major in quartermaster/supplies, apparently a non-combatant role.

We ended up in Birmingham as my grandfather sought different machinist work during hard times.

I would really like to know if they ever did anything with the knife. The reason they contacted me was they wanted a value, so they could issue me a tax deduction. I never answered their letter.

Charlie

It's been interesting reading your last few responses Charlie, I have been by this museum dozens of times but never inside. I will have to stop in sometime. I live halfway between Boston and Newburyport.

[JohnR]

This was one of the stories where out of the blue a pair of knives popped up around the same time but actually 2 different sellers – and not eBay either … Got lucky finding this more rare little brother of the larger Miller Bros Rope knife (4 3/4”) posted just above… This 4 1/8” smaller version (not a sailors knife which also sported a manicure blade) is no doubt harder to find than the larger MB rope knives. Both knives have jigged bone but note the difference in the color and jigging… I was lucky to find this smaller version with the lanyard ring, perfect bone, strong spring and decent blade that no doubt saw action… Both Miller Bros Rope knives are in last photo… I was quite happy in the end to score the pair …

Mark Side DSCN0756.JPG

Pile Side DSCN0781.JPG

Blade Open DSCN0808 2.JPG

Tang Stamp DSCN0864.JPG

Lg & Sm MB Rope Knives DSCN0836.JPG

Congratulations on a great find on that smaller Miller Bros Lee, very hard to find that one and in very nice condition.

[LongBlade]

Thanks John ...