All About Pocket Knives

Who is(or was) Fred MacOverland? Trying to research the name I came up with very little.Many years ago I acquired a combination tool with a folding knife blade and fish scaler/hook disgorger in each of the two handles.The pliers like tool also contained cutting edges in the jaws as well as a device for splitting lead shot for line;a screwdriver tip on the end of one handle;a small sharpening stone for fish hooks and other knives;and a cap lifter in one of the jaws. This was all chrome plated and fitted into a nice leather belt sheath. The name was stamped into the blades and various parts of the tool as well as the sheath.For all intents and purposes it seemed to be a piece of average construction built in Germany sometime in the 1950's or thereabouts.
Several years ago I acquired another with the same name but of slightly different construction. Don't recall how much I paid for it but I don't believe it was a whole lot.The first one was part of a swap deal.
Fast forward to today.After having my wife's car serviced at a local dealership I decided to ride out to one of my favorite antique shops to see how the owner was getting on.He has been having some health issues and his wife informed me that he has been hospitalized for a few weeks now with diabetes related problems.
Anyway as I was checking to see if there were any new knives there my eyes fix on a familiar shaped sheath:It was a Fred MacOverland Fisherman'd Friend;only this one was still in the original box! The tool still had the original tag affixed and had never seen the inside of the sheath.Not only that but there was a small flyer inside the box describing the various attributes of the tool.
Now I have a bit more information to go on. It lists the Overland Import Co. at 1056 So.Grand Ave. Los Angles 15,Calif. As there is no ZIP code but rather a 2 digit postal code and the word California is abbreviated the early way instead of the more modern 2 letter CA it dates to pre 1965.
But how much pre 1965? The box art appears to be early to mid 1950's. Anyone have any info on the company they can pass on? It would be greatly appreciated.
Here are pics of the latest one and also pics of the two earlier ones.

Nice find Ray! I have one or two, but none in mint condition!
Great find.

Goins' says "OVERLAND GERMANY c. 1951-1953 Located in Los Angeles, California & operated by Fred Mac Overland."

I don't recall where I read it, but someone said there were a lot of servicemen who had been in Germany and started importing German knives after WWII as the Germany industrial base began to recover. I guess some of them didn't last too long.

Can't help you with your exact model but here is a very similar German made example from 1955.

Mason wrote:Can't help you with your exact model but here is a very similar German made example from 1955.

Thanks for the pic! If you look at pictures 4 & 5 that I posted you will see that exact model.It is missing the sharpening stone.

Ray I have one of those which is identical to the one in your first picture other than mine is stamped "ABC (over) Solingen (over) Germany" and the sharpening stone is missing. I would have to assume that whomever manufactured them did so under more than one branding.

I don't know a thing about Fred MacOverland, but that almost sounds like a made up name used as a marketing device.

philco wrote:Ray I have one of those which is identical to the one in your first picture other than mine is stamped "ABC (over) Solingen (over) Germany" and the sharpening stone is missing. I would have to assume that whomever manufactured them did so under more than one branding.

I don't know a thing about Fred MacOverland, but that almost sounds like a made up name used as a marketing device.

Phil: I think the reason that the stone is missing idue to the porosity of the stone versus the relatively smooth surface to which it is adhered.The same thing happens to a lot of fish jacks that have a stone attached to the scale.
I still haven't had a chance to research the Overland Trading Co but chances are better than even that it was a wholesale importer.I would imagine that there were many more importers who chose to do this as well.
I remember reading in one of Levine's guides that a lot of knife manufacturers would stamp anything you wanted on the tang of a knife if you ordered as few as one gross(144) of knives.

Nice find, Ray.
I have one, but I bought it as a fishing accessory, not as a collectible knife.
Charlie Noyes

Thought I'd revive this thread after my son brought me a related item he found at a flea market. Although it doesn't say so anywhere, the knife looks to have stainless blades, not surprising for a fish knife, but it had some light surface rust. Master blade tang stamp is a whale over "Germany". Both blades were completely lazy but doesn't look to have ever been sharpened. Knife is shell construction with imitation (some type of composition/plastic) stag handles and crimped bolsters. Reminiscent of old inexpensive Colonial knives. A little Tuf-Glide and some rubbing with a cloth took the rust off and restored good snap to the secondary blade, but the master is gonna take some more work. Pliers say Overland Japan and look like chrome plated, never used. Scabbard is in near perfect condition and is embossed with "Overland Fisherman's Friend". Thanks for looking.

Ken

Nice find! The whale trademark I've seen before;it could be Elosi in Germany.Richards also made shell handled knives in Europe.