All About Pocket Knives

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:29 pm A.....

Thank you Smitty.
I enjoy researching the company or
business that's advertised on the knife.

doglegg wrote: ↑Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:45 pm Very.....

Thank you very much Floyd.

I originally started this topic/thread for a very simple reason. I wanted to learn which cutlery company or companies manufactured, or at least had a hand in the process of manufacturing pocket knives for The Whitehead & Hoag Company.
I didn't expect any part of this quest to be a piece of cake. But I thought there would be more information than what there is. What little information I could find, mentioned BOKER U.S.A. as being involved. But so far, I can't find one piece of evidence that would, without a doubt, link BOKER U.S.A. to "W & H." If I could find a pocket knife that matches ANY of the patterns or styles that I've previously posted under this topic/thread AND has a BOKER U.S.A. tang stamp, I would consider that proof positive of a connection. The ROBESON name was mentioned even less, but it was mentioned. Well, I do believe that I have the evidence linking ROBESON to "W & H." I'm 99% sure that ROBESON was one of the manufacturers and didn't just have a hand in the manufacturing process. The reason that I'm NOT 100% positive, is because of the last or bottom pocket knife in the first three pictures. The blade is different and it has a long pull. Also, I can not read the remains of the tang stamp. Could ANOTHER, DIFFERENT cutlery company also be involved with manufacturing this pattern or style of pocket knife? It's entirely possible, but I hope not. Further investigation is definitely required. The pocket knives are in the same position in the first three pictures. The pictures of the tang stamps are in the order that the pocket knives are in.
Caption(s), if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding pictures.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

The Latest Group Pictures Were Posted Yesterday.
Click here to view:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=60#p930929

***** Stay Tuned For Another EARTH SHATTERING, LIFE ALTERING Revelation, Coming Soon. *****

My purpose for starting this topic/thread, was to try and determine which cutlery companies made or had a hand in the manufacturing of pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Well, besides BOKER U.S.A. (no hard evidence) and to a much lesser degree, ROBESON (see the previous post), no other cutlery companies have been mentioned (that I could find). That is, until now. This will be the FIRST of THREE posts hopefully revealing a third and possibly a fourth cutlery company involved with Whitehead & Hoag.

Acquired very recently and pictured below is a MERIDEN - KNIFE CO. - U.S.A., 2 blade, 2 tang stamps, 3 1/8" closed pocket knife. One side of the handle has a train and the other side has an ad for "THE TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY." Both tang stamps are the same and are "block style." Per GOINS, it dates from 1917-1932. It needed very little cleaning. I'm 99.999% sure that the train is on the "front" side of the handle. What, if anything, does the MERIDEN KNIFE COMPANY have to do with the Whitehead & Hoag Company? You'll just have to wait for the next TWO parts to find out.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:42 pm My purpose for starting this topic/thread, was to try and determine which cutlery companies made or had a hand in the manufacturing of pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Well, besides BOKER U.S.A. (no hard evidence) and to a much lesser degree, ROBESON (see the previous post), no other cutlery companies have been mentioned (that I could find). That is, until now. This will be the FIRST of THREE posts hopefully revealing a third and possibly a fourth cutlery company involved with Whitehead & Hoag.

Acquired very recently and pictured below is a MERIDEN - KNIFE CO. - U.S.A., 2 blade, 2 tang stamps, 3 1/8" closed pocket knife. One side of the handle has a train and the other side has an ad for "THE TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY." Both tang stamps are the same and are "block style." Per GOINS, it dates from 1917-1932. It needed very little cleaning. I'm 99.999% sure that the train is on the "front" side of the handle. What, if anything, does the MERIDEN KNIFE COMPANY have to do with the Whitehead & Hoag Company? You'll just have to wait for the next TWO parts to find out.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

Nice find skip.

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:58 pm Nice.....

Thank you Smitty.

My purpose for starting this topic/thread, was to try and determine which cutlery companies made or had a hand in the manufacturing of pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Well, besides BOKER U.S.A. (no hard evidence) and to a much lesser degree, ROBESON, no other cutlery companies have been mentioned (that I could find). That is, until now. This is the SECOND of THREE posts hopefully revealing a third and possibly a fourth cutlery company involved with the Whitehead & Hoag Company.

ROBESON, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931194

MERIDEN, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931301

My most recent acquisition and pictured below is a L.F. & C. - U.S.A. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK), 2 blade, 1 tang stamp, 3 1/8" closed pocket knife. Both sides of the handle have an ad for "THE TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY." The tang stamp is the "block style." Per GOINS, it dates from 1912-1950. Also per GOINS, L.F. & C. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK) purchased ALL of the MERIDEN KNIFE COMPANY in 1918. It required very little cleaning. What, if anything, does the MERIDEN KNIFE COMPANY and L.F. & C. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK) have to do with the Whitehead & Hoag Company? You'll just have to wait for part THREE to find out.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:00 pm
My most recent acquisition and pictured below is a L.F. & C. - U.S.A. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK), 2 blade, 1 tang stamp, 3 1/8" closed pocket knife. Both sides of the handle have an ad for "THE TRAVELERS INSURANCE COMPANY."

Looks great Skip. Another nice addition to your group.

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:02 am Looks.....

Thank you Smitty.
I tend to look at it as another clue.

My purpose for starting this topic/thread, was to try and determine which cutlery companies made or had a hand in the manufacturing of pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Well, besides BOKER U.S.A. (no hard evidence) and to a much lesser degree, ROBESON, no other cutlery companies have been mentioned (that I could find). That is, until now. This is the THIRD and the last of THREE posts hopefully revealing a third and possibly a fourth cutlery company involved with the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Of course, nothing about this is 100% certain. Judge the evidence for yourself.

BOKER U.S.A., (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
Nonexistent. So far.

ROBESON, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931194

MERIDEN, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931301

L.F. & C. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK), (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
posting.php?mode=reply&f=35&t=70226#pr931683

The Latest Group Pictures (June 19, 2021):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=60#p930929

So, did the MERIDEN KNIFE COMPANY actually manufacture any pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company?
There may be a VERY SLIGHT chance that they did, but I really doubt it. Did L.F. & C. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK) manufacture pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company? I do believe that they did. The pocket knives are in the same position in the first four pictures. The pictures of the tang stamps are in the order that the pocket knives are in. Where there are two of the same tang stamps, the main blade stamp is first.
Caption(s), if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding pictures.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

So, in summary, here are the cutlery companies that I believe manufactured or at least had a hand in the manufacturing process of the pocket knives for Whitehead & Hoag. Are there more? Yes, I do believe that there are other cutlery companies involved. The hunt and the investigation continues.

BOKER U.S.A. - No Hard Evidence (So Far).
ROBESON - Involved.
MERIDEN - Slight Chance Of Involvement.
L.F. & C. - Involved.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:00 pm My purpose for starting this topic/thread, was to try and determine which cutlery companies made or had a hand in the manufacturing of pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Well, besides BOKER U.S.A. (no hard evidence) and to a much lesser degree, ROBESON, no other cutlery companies have been mentioned (that I could find). That is, until now. This is the THIRD and the last of THREE posts hopefully revealing a third and possibly a fourth cutlery company involved with the Whitehead & Hoag Company. Of course, nothing about this is 100% certain. Judge the evidence for yourself.

BOKER U.S.A., (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
Nonexistent. So far.

ROBESON, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931194

MERIDEN, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931301

L.F. & C. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK), (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
posting.php?mode=reply&f=35&t=70226#pr931683


So, did the MERIDEN KNIFE COMPANY actually manufacture any pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company?
There may be a VERY SLIGHT chance that they did, but I really doubt it. Did L.F. & C. (LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK) manufacture pocket knives for the Whitehead & Hoag Company? I do believe that they did. The pocket knives are in the same position in the first four pictures. The pictures of the tang stamps are in the order that the pocket knives are in. Where there are two of the same tang stamps, the main blade stamp is first.
Caption(s), if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding pictures.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

So, in summary, here are the cutlery companies that I believe manufactured or at least had a hand in the manufacturing process of the pocket knives for Whitehead & Hoag. Are there more? Yes, I do believe that there are other cutlery companies involved. The hunt and the investigation continues.

BOKER U.S.A. - No Hard Evidence (So Far).
ROBESON - Involved.
MERIDEN - Slight Chance Of Involvement.
L.F. & C. - Involved.

You've acquired some very nice knives through this thread. Very informative links and thread Skip. Thanks for sharing.

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:13 pm You've.....

Thank you Smitty.

This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 3" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is my first fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "BELMONT S & R WKS. - 330 BELMONT AVE. - BROOKLYN, N.Y.", that I've obtained. It is also stamped, "PAT'D 10-29-12" on the loop. This is my fifth fob/key ring pocket knife that is this particular pattern or style. The other four have been previously posted under this topic/thread. There's a VERY good chance that this pocket knife was manufactured by ROBESON. It needed a very minor cleaning. 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.

The ROBESON connection, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931194

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 6:07 pm This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 3" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is my first fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "BELMONT S & R WKS. - 330 BELMONT AVE. - BROOKLYN, N.Y.", that I've obtained. It is also stamped, "PAT'D 10-29-12" on the loop. This is my fifth fob/key ring pocket knife that is this particular pattern or style. The other four have been previously posted under this topic/thread. There's a VERY good chance that this pocket knife was manufactured by ROBESON. It needed a very minor cleaning. I took some pictures and here it is.

Another nice acquisition and addition to your group Skip.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 6:07 pm This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 3" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is my first fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "BELMONT S & R WKS. - 330 BELMONT AVE. - BROOKLYN, N.Y.", that I've obtained. It is also stamped, "PAT'D 10-29-12" on the loop. This is my fifth fob/key ring pocket knife that is this particular pattern or style. The other four have been previously posted under this topic/thread. There's a VERY good chance that this pocket knife was manufactured by ROBESON. It needed a very minor cleaning. 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.

The ROBESON connection, (As It Pertains To This Topic/Thread):
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=70226&start=75#p931194

Pretty neat stuff you’ve been doing here Skip. Been following your Adventure,been very interesting.
Thanks for all the info and time you put in this ,find it intriguing in a way .

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 10:00 pm Another.....

Thank you Smitty.
Stay tuned.......have a "few" more coming in the mail.

Ripster wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:12 pm Pretty.....

Thank you JP.
Researching the history of the companies & businesses that are
advertised on the handles is the payoff with these pocket knives.
Besides trying to connect the actual cutlery companies with "W & H."

This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 2 7/32" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is the fourth fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "ABSORENE MFG CO.", and the third of this particular pattern or style that I've obtained. The other three "ABSORENE" fob/key ring pocket knives have been previously posted under this topic/thread. It needed a very minor cleaning. 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.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:30 pm This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 2 7/32" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is the fourth fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "ABSORENE MFG CO.", and the third of this particular pattern or style that I've obtained. The other three "ABSORENE" fob/key ring pocket knives have been previously posted under this topic/thread. It needed a very minor cleaning. 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.

Another nice one Skip!!

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 8:35 pm Another.....

Thank you Smitty.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:30 pm This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 2 7/32" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is the fourth fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "ABSORENE MFG CO.", and the third of this particular pattern or style that I've obtained. The other three "ABSORENE" fob/key ring pocket knives have been previously posted under this topic/thread. It needed a very minor cleaning. 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.

Dang Skip,another nice one for your Adv. knives . Sure is quiet the journey following this,very interesting to watch and read the progress,have had to go back and reread some posts.A lot of interesting info.
Those group shots a few pages back are pretty cool,would make a neat display .
Take care out there,Happy 4 th of July my Friend

Ripster wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 11:39 pm Dang.....

Thank you JP.
A happy and safe 4th to you and yours.

The following is NOT my "W & H" fob/key ring pocket knife.
The following posted pictures are NOT mine.
The following posted pictures are strictly for posterity and for reference.
Captions, if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding picture(s).
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

This afternoon I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 2 1/2" closed (NOT including the loop/ring), all metal, fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is the second fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "BROWNING KING & Co.", that I've obtained. The other "BROWNING KING & Co." fob/key ring pocket knife has been previously posted under this topic/thread. It didn't need to be cleaned. I took some pictures and here it is.
Captions, if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding picture(s).
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Sat Jul 03, 2021 7:48 pm This afternoon I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 2 1/2" closed (NOT including the loop/ring), all metal, fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is the second fob/key ring pocket knife advertising this particular company, "BROWNING KING & Co.", that I've obtained. The other "BROWNING KING & Co." fob/key ring pocket knife has been previously posted under this topic/thread. It didn't need to be cleaned. I took some pictures and here it is.
Captions, if any, are on the BOTTOM of the corresponding picture(s).
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.

Good looking Fob Knife and another fine addition to your W & H Co Family. Here's wishing you a Happy 4th of July tomorrow.

Papa Bones wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 1:30 am Good.....

Thank you Smitty.
A happy and safe 4th to you and yours also.

This morning I added this, "THE W & H CO - USA - NEWARK NJ", single blade, 2 1/16" closed, all metal fob/key ring pocket knife to my collection. This is my first fob/key ring pocket knife that advertises this particular company or business. It says "NEW HOME S & L. ASS'N. - 9 NORTH 6TH ST. READING, PA." on one side of the handle and "6% ON SAVINGS" on the other side. It needed a very minor cleaning. I took some pictures and here it is.
Click on a picture to ENLARGE.