All About Pocket Knives

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:38 am

garddogg56 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 18, 2021 11:05 pm Here.....

A couple of BEAUTIES, garddogg56!
I really like the propeller shield on the bone.

Thanx Skip I like that EO topdog and yours steel

This afternoon, I added this pocket knife to my collection and to this topic/thread. It is a VALLEY FORGE, double blade with cap lifter/bottle opener, 3 tang stamps, 3 7/16" closed, all metal pocket knife. The main blade tang stamp reads VALLEY FORGE - CUTLERY CO. - NEWARK N.J. The tang stamps on the secondary blade with opener say VALLEY FORGE - CUTLERY CO. on one side and on the other side it says PATENTED - MAY 18, 1909. I bought this pocket knife as part of my Whitehead & Hoag investigation. It required very little cleaning, but the secondary blade & tool has a couple of issues.
I took some pictures and here it is.
Caption(s), if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding pictures.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

Lockback.

Recently, this pocket knife arrived in a group or lot of pocket knives that I purchased. It now becomes my latest example to be posted under this topic or thread. I did NOT purchase the group or lot of pocket knives to obtain this particular pocket knife. However, it did turn out to be a keeper and it was added to my general, pocket knife accumulation. It is a VALLEY FORGE, two blades, two tang stamps, 3 7/8" closed, two springs, long main blade pull, pocket knife. The main blade front tang stamp, VERY FAINT and what I can make out, says, "VALLEY FORGE (over) CUTLERY CO. (over) NEWARK, N.J." The secondary blade front tang stamp, also VERY FAINT and what I can make out, says, "VALLEY (over) FORGE (over) CUTLERY" The main blade has a VERY GOOD half stop, along with a VERY GOOD opening and closing snap. The secondary blade has a GOOD, CRISP, half stop. It also has a VERY GOOD opening and closing snap. Both blades are EXTREMELY SHARP!! It is obvious that both blades have seen some use. A piece of the one handle side is missing. But overall, this pocket knife is still in FAIR+ condition and still has some life left in it. I did have to clean it up a bit. I took some pictures and here it is.
Caption(s), if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding picture(s).
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

I recently fixed up this Valley Forge 3 and 5/16" junior stock knife that had deteriorating plastic handle material. Unfortunately I forgot to take a before shot, but trust me it needed some work. Rehandled with black linen micarta. The blades had some chips and uneven sharpening which was straightened up.

Hoping to find some help here. I recently acquired this Valley Forge mid lock banana trapper. Everything about the knife looks right. The bone, pin placement, amount of pins, grind lines, nail pull placement, lines on the bolster, fitment and flushness of the spring in all positions. All things check out besides the tang stamp. I just don’t know what to think about it. Any help would be appreciated!

Not sure if you can see this clearly, but 2 of mine have the arched "Valley Forge" over Cutlery Co., Newark N.J., Made In U.S.A. and the circled VF on the secondary blades. The rough one in the back just has Valley Forge straight-lined and nothing else stamped on either blade.

Dilbery91 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2024 6:18 am Hoping to find some help here. I recently acquired this Valley Forge mid lock banana trapper. Everything about the knife looks right. The bone, pin placement, amount of pins, grind lines, nail pull placement, lines on the bolster, fitment and flushness of the spring in all positions. All things check out besides the tang stamp. I just don’t know what to think about it. Any help would be appreciated!

I would agree with you that the tang stamp looks suspicious. The tang area itself looks uneven and may have been "worked on."

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2024 3:17 pm

Dilbery91 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2024 6:18 am Hoping to find some help here. I recently acquired this Valley Forge mid lock banana trapper. Everything about the knife looks right. The bone, pin placement, amount of pins, grind lines, nail pull placement, lines on the bolster, fitment and flushness of the spring in all positions. All things check out besides the tang stamp. I just don’t know what to think about it. Any help would be appreciated!

I would agree with you that the tang stamp looks suspicious. The tang area itself looks uneven and may have been "worked on."

Thank you for your input. That was my thoughts as well. Overall, may I ask your opinion on the authenticity of the knife? Do you feel it’s legitimate and overcleaned? Or is it a cobble job fake? I’m just not sure what I’ve got here. Thank you for your response!

I only have a very few Valley Forge knives and would not consider myself as knowledgeable on identifying them. The knife certainly looks like it has had been buffed to the extreme, and the tang is not flat and untouched, therefore I would doubt that it has not been tampered with. Hopefully someone may recognize that pattern that has been made by other companies.

This is my VF banana trapper. The difference I see is that yours looks like a later version better condition knife , even though It's been buffed .


I have a VF farmers jack that has a crazy miss stamped VF inside circle on the back of the spey.
I don't see any reason the OP knife would be a fake and I've never heard of one.

The miss stamped VF

Nice knives being shown here

I collect these plier-knives.

Miller Bro's wrote: ↑Wed Dec 04, 2024 11:27 pm Nice knives being shown here

I collect these plier-knives.

I have this plier knife that is marked Sterling Service USA. Was it possibly made by Valley Forge? Did Valley Forge make their own knives?

OC: That's a cool knife. Can't find that mark in any of my literature. I doesn't look like a Valley Forge to me but...? Is there a "VF" in a circle anywhere? Maybe you know that mark was used after Boker bought them out. Good luck with it. J.O'.

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Thu Dec 05, 2024 7:20 pm OC: That's a cool knife. Can't find that mark in any of my literature. I doesn't look like a Valley Forge to me but...? Is there a "VF" in a circle anywhere? Maybe you know that mark was used after Boker bought them out. Good luck with it. J.O'.

No VF marking anywhere on knife. Just the tang stamp shown and the plier is marked PATAPLDFOR. When I got it, it had aluminum scales that someone had made. UGLLEEEEE. I made the ones shown from a pet store Angus Beef leg bone. The plier is real nice, many of them were abused to death.

Its Valley Forge and it old. Nice job on bone.

Harold

Yeah, nice bone work. J.O'.

wlf wrote: ↑Wed Dec 04, 2024 8:18 pm This is my VF banana trapper. The difference I see is that yours looks like a later version better condition knife , even though It's been buffed .


I have a VF farmers jack that has a crazy miss stamped VF inside circle on the back of the spey.
I don't see any reason the OP knife would be a fake and I've never heard of one.

Thank you for your input! Some suspicions had been raised about the authenticity of mine. But everything I found that I was able to compare it to checks out. I’m hoping it’s real for my own sake lol. Hopefully they wouldn’t fake such an obscure stamp. People are strange though. I love your original example. It breaks my heart this one has been buffed. But I love it anyways

I’ll stick this one in here, I posted it earlier. Wyeth Hardware Company, Valley Forge. Harold

Just saw this as I was browsing my pics, for a real home town feel using Valley Forge itself as my background.

Here's a box the knives originally came in.

Cool Dimitri.

Here's a few more...