All About Pocket Knives

Nice old knife, Harold.
I think they're two peas in a pod. Same stamps.
I'd say yours is 3 inches too.

Joe 3" they are fun little knives. I was surprised to see another one.

Thanks Harold.
I was surprised to see another one too.
They are pretty neat. I'm glad you have one.
I got mine just last Sunday at a knife show.

I plopped it in Steve Pfeiffer's hand. He looks at it briefly. Unopened, he says "is this a Russell?".
I laughed; Yes Steve it's a Russell. He sure knows his knives!

He is Good. Seems to know all knives not just Case.

Nice knives, Joe and Harold! I like the long pulls on the pen blade, don't often see that.

Thanks Dan. I agree, the long pull is a nice touch.

knife7knut begins this Thread noting the absence of a dedicated thread on J. Russell knives.

Maybe there is a paradox about the most esteemed knives being the least collected knives; that is, there can be a knife brand with such a transcendent mystique, and so assiduously held, that they are rarely traded. And if traded, it is done “below the RADAR”; probably to another inner-coterie collector.

Bruce Voyles several years ago wrote about some of the highest-ranked knives for collectors in the early years of organized collecting slipping down the list in later years. J. Russell was one of the brands. This he attributed to the progressive unavailability of what once were the most-collected. To use a term from the world of investing, those knives tended to be held in “strong hands”; that is, transitory market vicissitudes did not readily shake the confidence of the investor who held the asset.

I have long had an interest in acquiring J. Russell folders in the patterns I collect, but do not have a single one. They never seem to be offered to me. The last time I examined one, the dealer warned me that the knife “might not be right”. That could be another problem that puts a crimp on collecting some most highly-regarded knives: they are often counterfeited.

I do own a J. Russell chef’s knife, which has that especial pre-World W I feel, that “finesse”, an attribute not shared by the later Sabattier-style knives -- cook’s knives that couldn’t decide if they really wanted to be cleavers.

So, I postulate that J. Russell knives may been hovering too far up in the knife collecting firmament to have had it's own dedicated thread.

Held in "Strong Hands" indeed, until not held.
The vicissitudes of personal ownership have swung my way, much to my delight and for the mere pittance of $50.

I agree with you, stumpstalker. Russell knives are not circulated often and I wonder how many still exist.

It would be nice to see your Russell chef knife in "In the Kitchen".

FRJ:

One of these days I will get some new-fangled electronic equipment, i.e., a ‘phone, and provide an illustration of that J. Russell chef’s knife. I confess I have been an egregious free-rider on this Forum, having illustrated only three knives, thus far; and those solely due to my having corralled a visiting family member to use his.

stockman wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2019 12:07 am I think I have the same knife. Not as clean as yours.

Harold

Cracking knife - Not a name I've seen over here but certainly one I'll be looking out for from now on

Corso wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:00 pm

stockman wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2019 12:07 am I think I have the same knife. Not as clean as yours.

Harold

Cracking knife - Not a name I've seen over here but certainly one I'll be looking out for from now on

Good luck, hope you find a nice old Russell.

I bought this small Russell stag several years ago and have been looking for a blade since then. When I first got it I thought the blade from a Barlow would work but they are way too big. This is about the size of a Case 63 pattern. These early stags don't come up often and I thought others would enjoy.

Added this Russell Barlow to the collection, still has full blade with factory grind marks present.

That's a sweet one, John!!!

Nice one, John! Don't often see blades so close to full on an old Russell.

That's a lovely example

Corso, Dan, Doc, thanks for the comments.

Picked up a Russell thistle top hunter, made roughly 1900 to 1930, nice diamond checkered ebony handle and a fitted sheath.

John, your Barlow is beautiful but that thistle top is extraordinary.
The checkering still looks sharp. Two fine knives. Congratulations ...... again.

And great photos, by the way.

FRJ wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:26 pm John, your Barlow is beautiful but that thistle top is extraordinary.
The checkering still looks sharp. Two fine knives. Congratulations ...... again.

And great photos, by the way.

Joe, thank you for the kind comments. The thistle top is in pretty good shape for it's age but it does have a pin crack and chip on other side. The diamond checkering is still sharp.

Picked this up a couple weeks ago....

TripleF wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:41 pm Picked this up a couple weeks ago....

Does this knife have a specific purpose?
If so, what is it?

edge213 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:28 pm

TripleF wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 2:41 pm Picked this up a couple weeks ago....

Does this knife have a specific purpose?
If so, what is it?

Cotton sampler???

Great thistletop, John, and with a sheath in what looks like pretty good condition!
Scott, that slightly resembles some varieties of a military bolo knife! I though there were some Russell catalog pages in the catalog pages sticky, but there aren't. Maybe an agricultural knife of some kind?

JohnR wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 6:30 pm Added this Russell Barlow to the collection, still has full blade with factory grind marks present.

Great knife John.

KnifeSlinger#81 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 10, 2020 1:13 pm

JohnR wrote: ↑Fri Mar 27, 2020 6:30 pm Added this Russell Barlow to the collection, still has full blade with factory grind marks present.

Great knife John.

Thanks Paul, plenty of Russell Barlows out there but so hard to find in this condition, I think the best are buried in collections.