All About Pocket Knives

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I recently purchased a Cardinal Cutlery Corp. 4 inch. fixed-blade kinfe with a stacked-leather handle, aluminum guard & pommel. The blade has a full length serrated edge on the top which slants inward on both sides of the blade, really mean looking. The guard has Cardinal Cutlery Corp. NYC stamped on it.

I can't find any info. on this knife or its maker. Would anyone know anything about Cardinal Cutlery and their products?

Any & all input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ajal

Hi ajal,
It would REALLY help if you would post a picture of the knife.
It is very difficult to tell what a knife is just from a description, especially one that is not a common brand/model.

Goins does list a Cardinal Cutlery, N.Y.C. estimated date 1910-1930.
That is all I can say without a picture. It could have been a SFO from another company.
Maybe a picture would confirm that.

Dale

Okay Dale:

I will load the pics and do another post.

Thanks
ajal

Here are the pics of my Cardinal Knife.

This knife did not look like this when I received it all the markings were hidden, the blade was rust brown, and the handle was as dry as a bone.

Thanks
ajal

I think that if the serrations on the top of the blade are original to the knife, that it was a fish knife.

I think that if the serrations were added at a later date, someone turned it into a fish knife.

In either case, it's a fish knife.

I've never seen anything branded Cardinal Cutlery Co. N.Y.C. before.

Charlie Noyes

Thanks ajal

Are the guard & pommel made of aluminum? Hard to tell from a picture.

Are there any other markings other than what we see in the picture?
Goins also referenced a German company that used the Cardinal name & he gave it the same estimated dates.
Early on aluminum was a sign of a more expensive knife, and by inference better quality, due to the expense involved in smelting the aluminum prior to cheap electricity and modern manufacturing methods.

The notches on the back of the blade make me think that it may have been intended for use of scaling fish, though it isn't a pattern we associate with fishing these days. Perhaps it was made as a bird and trout knife.

The more I look at it the more I think it may be made later, perhaps post WWII.

My guess is that it was a SFO (special factory order) made by Schrade, Camillus or someone else, for Cardinal (whoever they are). From the pictures I would date it roughly 1950 to 1980.
That is totally a guestimate based on the similarity to other knives of that period.

Hopefully someone will be along soon who knows the brand.

Dale

There were two Official Boy Scout fixed blade knives and one official Girl Scout knife made by Cardnal Cutlery Company of New York. All had stacked leather handles and aluminum end caps. One of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scout model had four inch blades. The other Boy Scout model had a five inch blade. All three were produced from 1945-1948.
(information from "Official Scout Blades" by Ed Holbrook)

The knife shown could be from about the same time period, but that is speculation on my part. Other than the serrations on the back of the blade, the knife shown looks a lot like the pictures of the scout models.

What is the length of the blade on that one?

Phil

I have owned both the 4" & 5" Boy Scout models.

None of the scout models had the back edge serrated, also none of them were stamped on the guard with the name. All the ones I have seen the blade was acid etched with the name and the scout logo.

I have seen them with the serrated spine, these were marketed to fishermen not boy scouts.

The ones I have owned and examined were crudely made, sturdy but not highly finished. They look like they were mass produced to fill a need without concern for quality.

Thanks All:

Yes the guard and end cap are both heavy-duty aluminum, and the blade length is 4 inches. In my opinion, the serrations were factory made due to the fine machining and the way they are cut into the blade back. There are no other markings on this knife other than what's on the guard.It is quite sturdy and takes an excellent edge as well. If anyone else has further info on this knife I will honor your input.

Regards,
ajal

I have a very similar knife to the one being discussed. It is 9-1/2" overall with a 5-1/4" blade. Aluminum guard and pommel. stacked leather. Stamped on blade Cardinal Cutlery NYC

sorry I’m coming to this discussion a little late. But I happened across this forum earlier today. I’m posting pictures of a Boy Scout knife made by The cardinal cutlery Corp. NYC. The blade is etched with the official knife Boy Scouts of America and the BSA logo. The guard is stamped with the Cardinal Cutlery Corp.

There is a knife with the edged blade and construction identical to mine except the guard has no brand stamp. It is for sale on eBay by someone I’ve talked to and he did not know the brand but I showed him these picture.