All About Pocket Knives

Wow congratulations Mike, that has to be rare and in such great condition

Can anyone tell me when they started sharpening the can opener on these older utility knives. This appears to be a Kingston, going by the thick punch & the MADE IN USA tang stamp, but the can opener is actually sharpened and I don’t know when that began.
Thank you for any help,
John

Here’s an old KA-BAR official BSA slide-apart “hobo” scout knife. I’ve had it several years but can’t recall ever posting it here until today. It has been used but the BSA etch is still visible on the master blade. Holbrook says 1938-1940, Kerr says 1937-1940.

Ken

Wow, hard to find with the etch Ken!

Ken

Thanks for the compliments on the knife! One reason (among several) it appealed to me is the etch. Having spent about 65 years as a Boy Scout and scout leader volunteer, I have a soft spot for scout memorabilia.

Ken

Just wondering if any of you collectors of scout camper knives could ID this Franken knife I recently acquired. Nice bone handles, shackle with thru pin construction. I am calling it a Franken knife because the master blade is stamped Cattaraugus with 24399 stamped on the pile side. 24399 is an easy open, which makes sense as the blade has no nail nick or pull. The bottle opener blade is marked Enderes which may or may not belong to this knife. Any one recognize who may have made the frame from the handle material or shield?

Looks like it came out of the Utica cutlery factory to me .
Probably made by Utica for Enderes .

Mike

ScoutKnives wrote: ↑Fri Aug 15, 2025 4:18 pm Looks like it came out of the Utica cutlery factory to me .
Probably made by Utica for Enderes .

Mike

Thanks Mike, thats great. So you think the knife is all good except that the Cattaraugus blade was added to replace the original?

Yes the other 3 blades look original to me .

Mike

ScoutKnives wrote: ↑Fri Aug 15, 2025 4:48 pm Yes the other 3 blades look original to me .

Mike

Thanks Mike

IMHO It does look "Utica" to me. J.O'.

Another recent pickup is this folder by Hibbard, Spencer, & Bartlett. Its in kind of rough shape and has some pitting and was missing a piece of the bone on the pile side. The bone got patched and it sharpened up nice and is a good EDC. The pile side of the master blade is marked 2705. The shield is marked Boy Scout, but was this ever an official Boy Scout knife? And who would have made it?

Looks like a Challenge cutlery co knife to me .
Also I believe the permanent bail was removed and someone drilled holes and repaired it with a removable type bail .

Mike

ScoutKnives wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 5:50 pm Looks like a Challenge cutlery co knife to me .
Also I believe the permanent bail was removed and someone drilled holes and repaired it with a removable type bail .

Mike

Thanks Mike
It is marked Boy Scout on the shield, but was this an official Boy Scout knife?

Is that a "Patent" punch, #701,878 ? Kinda looks like a New York Knife in the bolsters and shield. Mine is missing the bail. Just curious. Nice piece. J.O'.

BTW: HSB was not an "Official" BSA knife according to Dennis Ellingsen's chart. But, the NEW YORK KNIFE "Style #1" with the "Be Prepared" shield was the first "Official" BSA knife until 1922. For what it's worth if you didn't already know. (Ref: Levine's Guide) J.O'.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:00 pm

ScoutKnives wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 5:50 pm Looks like a Challenge cutlery co knife to me .
Also I believe the permanent bail was removed and someone drilled holes and repaired it with a removable type bail .

Mike

Thanks Mike
It is marked Boy Scout on the shield, but was this an official Boy Scout knife?

No. HSB never had a BSA licensed "official" knife. In the 1st half of the 20th century, with the popularity of the Scouting movement and hence BSA gear, many cutleries tried to capitalize by making the pattern, and putting misleading things like "Boy Scout", "Be Prepared" etc on shields. The BSA tried for a time through legal action (with marginal success at best), to protect their name and associated slogans from such unlicensed use. Lawyers are expensive and the abuses were many so around 1940-ish it seems the BSA gave up on protecting just about everything but the organization's full name "Boy Scouts of America" and the "Tenderfoot" symbol.

So you'll see a lot of that pattern by numerous makers that are unofficial. And unfortunately the "Boy Scouts" organization never got a dime from the use of the name they made so popular.

There are more details about this in prior posts in this thread. For one example some discussion of the topic starts here https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... 92#p656092 Or see Official Scout Blades by Ed Holbrook or 600 Scout Knives by Joseph R. Kerr.

Ken

Grabbed this little guy at a local estate sale 2 weekends ago on half price Sunday, they made me a deal on some vintage fishing gear and let me throw it in for $4, how could I say no. It needed a lite buff (maybe a little more seeing the pics now) and it has a little chip that I plan to repair soon too.

Its my new Pal.
(the penny for fun is the 1st year wheat penny (1909) the designer initials VDB were stamped on only the 1st half year of production - plus is was on my desk and holds the knife in place)

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:57 pm Is that a "Patent" punch, #701,878 ? Kinda looks like a New York Knife in the bolsters and shield. Mine is missing the bail. Just curious. Nice piece. J.O'.

Mine is very similar to yours, but does not have the patent number on the awl, and has a different shield. I can fix you up with a bail if you want.

Thanks, I'm in. PM me. O'.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Wed Aug 20, 2025 3:21 pm

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:57 pm Is that a "Patent" punch, #701,878 ? Kinda looks like a New York Knife in the bolsters and shield. Mine is missing the bail. Just curious. Nice piece. J.O'.

Mine is very similar to yours, but does not have the patent number on the awl, and has a different shield. I can fix you up with a bail if you want.

Bails are always in demand, you could corner the market
I picked up some as a batch on a site but they turned out to be tiny.
The ones you are turning out I'm sure a lot of folks are looking for.

This one has been sitting on my desk and the "scouts" peeked out at me from behind some sticky notes so I pulled it out again.
I was thinking of using it in our mystery game but who was going to guess this one !

Its an early scout.
I found it in an old box and went about deciphering it a while back and kept my notes on the tag obviously.

S.R. Droescher from Soligen Germany, moved to New York and more notable for straight razors, scissors and hones.
Droescher's SRD brand with an arrow through SRD 1891-1924.
Found an old reference to SRD Germany too.

Just snagged this New York Knife Scout from the bay , BSA # 1005 , Ebony handle with removable shackle.