Farmer's Jacks

[1967redrider]

Hope you are able to talk with him, keep us posted on your conversations. If he's ever in the DC area send him my way.

[wlf]

Well guys and gals I spoke to Jim Sargent and showed him the Remington in Ky. this year. He said it was the knife pictured in his book.

John(aka 1967redrider) had earlier asked me if I had "finger printed" my Remington with the knife pictured in Sargent's book. I had not thought to compare the dark carbon marks ,and upon doing so ,found they were an identical match. Hence,same knife. Thanks John.

I was reminded by Mason that I had not posted this knife,again one of my finest.It is an etched Challenge.

A good friend patched the handle ,see if you can find it.

The bone on this knife had what I love ,a bite to the jigging. The sharpness of the jigs grabs as you feel it. My bone Wostenholm had that. Ultimate feel on an antique jigged bone knife handle.

[philco]

Lyle that is a super nice knife. Whomever repaired the handle sure knows what he's doing.

[wlf]

He's one of the outstanding members of this forum.

[Mason]

Well guys and gals I spoke to Jim Sargent and showed him the Remington in Ky. this year. He said it was the knife pictured in his book.

John(aka 1967redrider had earlier asked me if I had "finger printed" my Remington with the knife pictured in Sargent's book. I had not thought to compare the dark carbon marks ,and upon doing so ,found they were an identical match. Hence,same knife. Thanks John.

I was reminded by Mason that I had not posted this knife,again one of my finest.It is an etched Challenge.

A good friend patched the handle ,see if you can find it.

The bone on this knife had what I love ,a bite to the jigging. The sharpness of the jigs grabs as you feel it. My bone Wostenholm had that. Ultimate feel on an antique jigged bone knife handle.

That is a fantastic example!!!
And with a perfect repair.

[1967redrider]

Glad to see I could help you out, Lyle.

[peanut740]

Good repair Lyle.Who ever did it did well.

[thegreedygulo]

VERY nice Lyle! Congrats.

[jerryd6818]

Lyle, you have the touch, buddy. I don't know how you do it but you find some real beauties.

[wlf]

Thanks for looking and the nice comments Phil,John,Neal,Roger,Roger,and Jerry. I am reminded of of the times we have met. Although I have not met John and Jerry,from our conversations ,I feel we are friends.Knife shows allow friends to get to know one another better.

I remember when I first started this endeavor,thegreedygulo (??,what's that mean) and I were conversing. I told him I was hesitant to show the world what was in my possession. He told me that ,if I would ,others would know and help me find them. Very good advice buddy,because as our Charlie once quoted,"if you build it they will come".

To all who view,I hope someday to have the pleasure to meet my internet friends.

[jerryd6818]

thegreedygulo (??,what's that mean)

I don't know if it's relevant, you'd have to ask him BUT I did a Google search and found this.

"The scientific name of the wolverine is Gulo gulo, from the Latin word for gluttony."
http://www.visionlearning.com/blog/2014 ... ion-greed/

Is any of that relevant to the screen name chosen by our member, "thegreedygulo"?

[thegreedygulo]

Jerryd6818: You pretty much nailed it. I just dropped one gulo and added the greedy part because I'm sort of like that about old H. Boker knives!

[wlf]

Ahh,mysteries unraveled.That Jerry aint afraid to Google.

I guess me and Jerry have a little gulo gulo in us too R.

[jerryd6818]

I'm a Googlein' fool. I ain't afeared of it. I tell people Google is your friend.

[thefarside]

Lyle,
Very nice Challenge.

[LongBlade]

Lyle - that is one beauty of a Challenge farmer's jack .... jigging on that bone is just a sight to behold and on a serpentine shape ... I imagine it does feel good in the hand... I can't quite make out the tang stamp - is it Challenge Cut Corpn?? I have to say your farmer's jacks are getting me quite interested in that knife pattern ...

[Dinadan]

Lyle - that Challenge really is a fine looking knife. Hard to believe that the blades could survive for so long in such good condition. The perfection of the etch strikes me as the most startling aspect of that knife. Great find!

[JohnR]

Here are a couple I recently picked up, one of the Queens and a later Wostenholm.

[wlf]

Thanks for posting those John,I'd like to trade you out of that Wostenholm.

[JohnR]

Thanks Lyle, normally we could work out a trade but I picked up both knives for the wife. It seems since she saw your amazing collection at the Rendezvous she has become a budding Farmers Jack collector, she is a Landscape Architect and a Horticulturist and the Farmers Jack pattern really appeals to her.
She did say she would bring it to next years Rendezvous and talk to you about a trade, good luck buddy, she's tough
.

[Jacknifeben]

Have you checked out the 2 on the latest VOYLES auction?

[wlf]

Thanks D ,yes I have and I am skeptical. I have never saw a Remington with anything other than a bar shield. I would like to have them in hand,but I'm not going to put too much in them. They have considerable wear,even if they are right.

Even the ones I believe were put together by Pal, have the bar shield. Bruce said he would examine them further,and call me if he saw something questionable?? Pal could have used a crest shield?? Anyways they have considerable wear of what is shown.

[wlf]

I believe this is a rare one,a hyperbole when speaking of this pattern.I grin. Ahh,The Old West. Interesting knife and more colorful company history.

Old Texas stamps are pretty rare.

Krakauer,Zork & Moye's Suc.'s El Paso Texas. Goins says Soc's,but stamps say Suc.'s. c 1895-1914 . Suc.'s meaning Successors. 4"( again, typical for this pattern) stamped on all blades,as with all old knives.

I'm fairly certain it is a Challenge made knife.Shield and frame match.I also suspect an ethnic relationship between Challege and this Company.

The 1897-98 San Antonio City Directory lists the company at 114-16 West Commerce with A. & M. Krakauer, G. Zork, and E. Moye as proprietors. This wholesale and retail company, which specialized in hardware and sporting goods, began in San Antonio but was far better known in El Paso with a main branch in Chihuahua, Mexico. Many Colt revolvers were shipped to the main El Paso store for distribution elsewhere. The company announced in the Oct 3, 1897 San Antonio Light that their entire stock was being sold “at cost” so that their interests could be concentrated “in Mexican and Western houses”. In Jan 1911 the other partners bought out E. Moye’s interest for $300,000, and the company was then Krakauer Zork & Moye Successors.


Also see:
https://books.google.com/books?id=yO...ompany&f=false

Interesting side notes:

They were etched "Krack-A-Jack",which is where Bob Roark and Charlie Dorton got their etch for the 2010 cotton sampler they SPOed from GEC.Bob told me Charlie Dorton found it in the Goins description and they used it.

This company came under Senate investigation during the Mexican Revolution ,accused of selling arms and munitions to the rebels.You can read the transcript of the Sept 7, 1912 Senate Subcomittee on Forgeign Relations here:

https://books.google.com/books?id=kZ...essors&f=false

[wlf]

Lee as promised a comparison,with the top knife the Krakauer Zork Moyes & Suc.s,the bottom two marked Challenge.Lower bolster matches, which is the obvious difference in most of this pattern.

As said above,I believe there was a Jewish influence between the two companies. Krakauer was Jewish born and I know Walter M Taussig was a proponent of the Jewish community.This from letters of Louis Brandeis , the first Jewish justice of the Supreme Court:

Taussig to Louis D Brandeis commenting on the attacks on the LDB ( a Jewish based human rights foundation) wrote:
" Perhaps the keen sense of humor which we have mutually inherited from our parents will help you bear the ridiculous attacks that have been made upon you by some of your Boston friends."

Weiburg and Hilger being the owners of Challenge at this time, Walter M Taussig the President.

[carrmillus]

.......beautiful old knives!!!!......... .......................