All About Pocket Knives

Was spending a pleasant hour browsing the "Knife Brands of the World" section of my Official Price Guide to Collector Knives, Fourteenth Edition (I know, I need to get a life) when it occurred to me what a collection could be made from just hardware store and hardware distributor brand knives:

Ainslie-Martin
Alligator Brand
American Ace
American Hardware & Supply
Andrew & Treadway
Axel Knielson
A.B. Caldwell Cutlery Co.
A.F.S. & Co.
A.F. Shapleigh Hardware Co.

And that's just the "A"s.

Biddle Hardware
Champion
Dixie Knife
Em-Haw-Co

You get the idea.

so, let's see hardware store and distributor knives.

I don't really have any good examples, but I'll be watching for them.

i can't show pics, but i can add some to the list
l.f &c.
h.s.b.
the new one listed in knife discussion, true value mastercraft.

i'll let others chime in with more

I realized I have at least one that qualifies - A Henry Sears from Farwell Ozmun & Kirk, a hardware distributor out of St. Paul MN.

Good ones, Chet - L.F.& C., Landers Frary and Clark. H.S.B. Hibberd Spencer and Bartlett. How about Hartford Cutlery, a brand of Marshall Wells Hardware out of Duluth, J. Pritxlaff Hardware of Milwaukee or Keener Edge, a knife brand of C.M. McClung Hardware, Knoxville TN. Raola Cutlery, a brand of Raola Hardware & Iron, Simmons Hardware of Keen Kutter fame, Wyeth's Warranted Cutlery, a brand of Wyeth Hardware and Metal out of St Joseph MO. Square Deal knives from Trout Hardware of Chicago. Van Camp Hardware had half a dozen brands. Every page of my guide has at least two or three hardware company, distributor or maker brands. Amazing to think of all the brands available back in the heyday of the pocket knife.

WOW! No one's said John Primble/Belknap Hardware?

America's Best and Champion were both house brands of Moore - Handley Hardware Co., Birmingham, AL. They stopped selling knives in 1962. They have been in business since 1882 and are still in business under the name HomeCrafters.

Charlie Noyes

tjmurphy wrote:WOW! No one's said John Primble/Belknap Hardware?

I have some of these John Primble knives - made by Schrade and sold by Belknap Hardware...
However, I do not know who made the other Primbel - Belknap knife.. Ken.

Spring-Brook knife Co.

Excellent, Edgy46! It took a little research but I found this out: Spring-brooke Knife was a brand of Dunham, Carrigan & Hayden of San Francisco, outfitter of '49ers and premiere hardware store of the city by the bay. The Spring-brooke brand was made by N.Y. Knife Company from 1849 to 1927, according to my book. Truly a fine collectible knife with an impeccable pedigree.

Thanks Trail.
It about had to pass through Ohio on it's way to California. Then it made it back to Ohio.
My Teenage daughter will get it and all my pearls. She has been my Saturday partner longer than she can remember.

Edgy that Spring Brook is sweet
How about W.M.Frankfurth hdw from Milwaukee
and cant forget probably the biggest hardware supplier
Sears Craftsman marked High Carbon Steel
Trav

Thanks Trav.
That Frankfurth Hdw is neat.

I'd love to see some of the classic old distributor and store brands but in the meantime how about some modern-day hardware distributors. This Stanley was probably made by Camillus not too long before they went out of business.

Here's one.

Here are a few I have that where made for Hardware stores or Distributors:

Nice Primble Jack, Dale! (Schrade?)
I can add a John Primble, made by Schrade, most likely.

Here is another Primble made by Schrade.

upnorth wrote:Nice Primble Jack, Dale! (Schrade?)

Don't you remember that one Charlie?
I think Schrade probably made it.

Here are couple
Blish, Mize and Silliman cattle knife



John Primble Belknap


ike

orvet wrote:

upnorth wrote:Nice Primble Jack, Dale! (Schrade?)

Don't you remember that one Charlie?
I think Schrade probably made it.

Yeah, I remember the knife, Dale. There was a bit of discussion about it, most of which I do NOT remember - CRS* is a dreadful disease!






*Can't Remember $hit!

Great knives, MikeB, especially that Blish Mize Silliman. Atchison KS 1871 to present. Check out their current website:
http://www.blishmize.com/about-us-2/ric ... ht-future/

trail wrote:Great knives, MikeB, especially that Blish Mize Silliman. Atchison KS 1871 to present. Check out their current website:
http://www.blishmize.com/about-us-2/ric ... ht-future/

Thanks trail. Interesting

Mike

could not figure where to put this ,

Neat, cato! Was that something made to celebrate the company being open for 100 years?

A few of my hardware knives:

1. Carlin-Hulfish
2. Chas. Leonard
3. Duke-Peterson
4. Albert & Meyer
5. Watkins-Cottrell

Dave that's a nice group of knives with some stamps that you don't see everyday.

peanut740 wrote:Dave that's a nice group of knives with some stamps that you don't see everyday.

I agree,I haven't heard of any that I remember.

Cutsure K & B Hdw Co Cincinnati O