All About Pocket Knives

Great looking toenails.

Here's a one you don't see every day. Pine Knot (made for Belknap) toenail recently acquired by Tony Bose. Pictures by Kerry Hampton.

Tony Bose bought the Pine Knot at the Central Kentucky show.....sadly it sold before it got around to my table

Nice toenails cbfd and zp4ja, those are great to see. Unfortunately, The Pine Knot looks to be a fake based on its stamp, as its patina does look pretty good. Here is a link to AAPK article where Jerry D. has a great comparison of the authentic and fake stamps. There may be other authentic Pine Knot stamps, I have seen straight line stamps that are similar to what is on Pine Knot draw knives, but I am not sure about its use on pocket knives.


http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... ot#p355975

Scott King saw that Pine Knot and said it was nice. A well known dealer also thought highly of it, and Tony is very knowledgeable about vintage knives. I think it would be hard for someone in this day and age to make a main blade like that one. The nail nicks, the fine matchstrike pull (have to look closely to see it), and to get the same aged look on both the blades and iron bolsters.

The knife stamp illustrated in the comparison between authentic and fake that is ID'd as fake is mine and it is indeed fake.

However, the stamp on my fake and that toenail shown above are not the same. There are details in the bird's head that are present on the toenail, but not on my fake.

I don't know that the stamp on the knife ID'd as authentic is the only stamp Belknap ever used. They had Pine Knot knives made by different manufacturers. They didn't all use the same stamp.

That toenail Tony Bose bought looks awfully real to me.

Pics below. Expand the toenail to see the difference.

Charlie Noyes

The stamp on the e-toe does not match any known authentic stamp I have ever seen.

Also, the knife looks like it has had an acid bath to create a false patina, nor does the jigged bone handles match a known jigging pattern used on the authentic knives.

I did a search on another knife forum, and the stamp on the toe looks similar to the ones I saw there. (I did not download them and compare them side by side.) This knife was also looked at by several NCKA dealers in Lexington and did not raise any red flags with them.

I think Tony Bose is able to tell if a knife has been taken apart, or dipped in acid, but that's just my opinion. Tony said he looked at the stamp under a high powered loop and it "was good as gold."

As to the jigging a friend of a friend recently found two patents for bone jigging tools that dated to 1880. That certainly was news to me, but I don't claim to know all of the jigging patterns that have been used in the past.

ObsidianEdge wrote:I did a search on another knife forum, and the stamp on the toe looks similar to the ones I saw there.

I would like to see the other stamps you said are authentic, and I would like to see better pictures of both tang stamps on the e-toe

Stamps that "look similar" may not be authentic.

MB, feel free to research to your heart's content. It was on BF. It's odd to me that a group of knowledgeable people at a knife show can hold the knife in-hand and not have any issues with it, but it needs to be "proven" to someone who hasn't seen it in person.

Maybe Tony was looking at his thumb when he had the loop. Someone must have gone to great lengths to fake that knife.

I thought people here would enjoy seeing it. Maybe a few did.

ObsidianEdge wrote:MB, feel free to research to your heart's content. It was on BF.

It`s not up to me to do the research, it is up to the owner of the knife.

ObsidianEdge wrote:It's odd to me that a group of knowledgeable people at a knife show can hold the knife in-hand and not have any issues with it, but it needs to be "proven" to someone who hasn't seen it in person.

You or any of the other Knowledgeable people don`t have to prove any thing to me, it`s not my knife.

ObsidianEdge wrote:Maybe Tony was looking at his thumb when he had the loop. Someone must have gone to great lengths to fake that knife.

How many authentic Pine Knot knives does he own or has examined the stamp/knife closely? I have only seen 4 real ones so far, I have seen a dozen or more "fake" ones.

ObsidianEdge wrote:I thought people here would enjoy seeing it. Maybe a few did.

I enjoyed seeing it, and I still like the looks of it

No need to get all defensive Mike, we learn here by examining things closely, giving opinions and talking things out

Not at all getting defensive, just giving my opinion while pointing out that others who have handled it in person believe it to be legit.I don't know how many Pine Knots those people may have examined over the years.

If Goins is right on his dates for Pine Knot of 1930-40, this knife pre dates that by along time.I have over 150 old toes, this knife is a twin brother to John Chatillon toes.Chatillon owned Phoenix knife Co. Phoenix did a lot of contract work and I believe made this knife.Phoenix burnt in 1916.If you notice this knife has iron bolsters and pins meaning if was made very early in the 1900's.I don't know what a Pine Knot stamp should like, but if it starts in 1930..........?

Thanks Peanut. Good info on John Chatillon. Levine's says 1910s-1930s for Pine Knot.

Here is my Shumate.

peanut740 wrote:I have over 150 old toes, this knife is a twin brother to John Chatillon toes.Chatillon owned Phoenix knife Co. Phoenix did a lot of contract work and I believe made this knife.

Let`s see your Chatillon e-toe for comparison

l hope this opens 3 J Chatilions

from left, 3 John Chatillon s, Hackett Walter & Gates, McIntosh Heather, Wyeth's Warranted Cut., Henry Sears 1865, and a Tom Ray.All made In the same factory.

very nice ..... love them bones , thanks for showing them side by side

Beautiful knives you have there peanut!

Those are great. Thanks peanut.

I've seen many of Peanuts "toenails", He 's quite knowledgeable about them,particularly the 80 to 100 year old ones .He has helped me out with some of mine.

Here is a comparison picture I made of the jigged bone handles.

I don`t see a match on the jigging, also the Pine Knot has a match striker pull these do not.

MB they all have match strike pulls.just crappy pics with a tablet.

I see it now on that one in the middle

This the the McIntosh Heather with similar bone to the suspect Pine Knot.Has far as I know Belknap didn't' have a toenail in the Primble line.I was shown one and I believed was fake.It was in stag.