All About Pocket Knives

I have a Camillus Grandaddy Barlow. The tang stamp does not match up with any of the stamps and dates that I have seen. The short line under the Camillus is throwing me off. Does anyone know the year of this knife? Thanks.

The working hypothesis currently for the short line stamp is 1946-1950ish.
There is a lot of discussion about what is commonly accepted as the dates for Camillus tang stamps.
Even Tom Williams who worked there for 30 years and was the official Camillus company historian says it is nearly impossible to date a Camillus by the tang stamp with a few exceptions. That stamp you have is one of the most discussed. Some think it should be dated later in the 1950s.

Information about Camillus tang stamps is still a work in progress and probably always will be.

They did not keep records and there is always the possibly a worker would pick up the wrong stamp off the stamp shelf (as per Tom Williams) and stamp a batch of blades with an old stamp.

Also when they made a batch of blades they used those blades until they need more blades of that pattern, even if those blades lasted through a couple tang stamp changes.
So real accurate tang stamp dating of Camillus knives is essentially impossible.

I think this is one of those "read the knife" type problems. Saw cut delrin handles would indicate a knife made in the early 60's or after. The Camillus catalog pdf's I found on AAPK indicate that the single digit pattern numbers didn't start until after 1951, the #9 pattern isn't shown in the 1965 catalog but is in 1972. Given this I would say a knife made mid 60's or after.

I have always found KA-BAR knives equally as difficult to date by tang stamp. At times it's easier to guess dates by material and construction than by tang stamp.

Wayne

The pattern #9 is listed in the 1946 CAMILLUS catalog and is described as having brown bone handles, which this one looks to me to have. This pattern is not listed in the 1948 catalog. I would say that this one is 1946 - 195?. I would like to think that the no underline stamp pre-dates the short underline stamp. Can't prove it, but the reasoning is there.

I went back and looked and yes the #9 is in the 1946 catalog. I stand corrected on the numbering system. I do think the handles are delrin.

bobcat1, can you tell us if the handles are sawcut bone or delrin? If not can you take a closeup of the handles for us?

Wayne

Not Delrin. Delrin was not introduced until the 1960's.

The handles do look like saw cut delrin to me. The color is very consistent at the ends and especially in the saw cut areas. If they are delrin the knife would be mid 60's vintage or newer. It would be good to have better pics of the handles.

Here is a knife from the bay with the same stamp that is described as having saw cut delrin handles.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-CAMILLU ... 7675.l2557




Wayne

........mine is the long line stamp and it is delrin-handled, and the the delrin doesn't look anything like the handles on this one, maybe this one is bone????........... ................

Here is an interesting and relevant post from AAPK. See orvet's second post on this page.

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... 1&start=15

Wayne

I agree with Wayne.
Read the knife, Not the stamp.
That knife (with delrin handles) is NOT from the 40's....or 50's....and proves the accepted dating of that stamp as 1946-1950ish, is wrong. (in my opinion)
It could start as early as '46, but obviously includes later years than '50ish.
Your knife is made sometime after the mid 60's, because of the Delrin handles.
Mark

Here you go--i originally thought it was saw cut delrin--but possibly saw cut bone and was confused by the tang stamp.

Saw cut delrin handles so this knife was made mid sixties or after. Excellent example!

Wayne

Not one to argue, but that sure looks like sawcut bone to me.

WB

btrwtr wrote:Saw cut delrin handles so this knife was made mid sixties or after. Excellent example!

Wayne

Mark

bobcat1 wrote:Here you go--i originally thought it was saw cut delrin--but possibly saw cut bone and was confused by the tang stamp.

....this looks like the delrin on mine, maybe a little lighter color!!!..... .........