All About Pocket Knives

I have this wabash cutlery knife since i was a boy. My mom gave it to me as a gift. I know a little about wabash cutlerys history. Does anyone know what the club on the handle stands for? Any ideas on value?

Nice knife with a great vintage look I'd be interested in seeing more of these Wabash knives. They seemed to use an intersting inlay technique for their shields...as on yours and mine. cheers

Hey thats nice. Im like ya. Would like to get a look at others. Yours is only the second one ive ever seen! Do you know anything about the value. I dont know what to put down for insurance if anything.

You probably know Wabash Cutlery is from Terre Haute, IN 1921-1935. The most authoritative word on knife value is ebay. Go there and search for something like Wabash Cutlery or Wabash knife and a lot of listings will come up. Click on completed listings and you'll see these sell in used condition for $12 - $40 dollars. My book shows them $50 - $200 in mint state. I have one with clear handles and a nude on it I picked up at a show. No idea what the club or spade on the handles stands for. Apparently they made a wide variety of knives.

Thanks justbob. Ive always wondered about this old knife. No one around here seemed to know. The one i got hasnt traveled far as im about 25 miles south of where it was made.

Wabash Cutlery Company was located at 811 N. 22nd St. (22nd & Elm). In Terre Haute IN. 1921-1935. They manufactured pocketknives from the raw materials to the finished product.
They started out with celluloid "art" handles. The poses taken from real life by Chicago art studios. Plain color celluloid was also available. Later bone and other handles were made.
President: Thadius Hibbard, Corp.Sec/VP: Walter Slattery, Board Member: Harry Hibbard.
These fellows were engaged in the cutlery business for over 20 years before the Wabash Cutlery, the last 7 years in Chicago.
Company slogan: Makers of High Grade Cutlery.
Still trying to find out if any relation to Hibbard Spencer & Bartlett of Chicago.
Here are the 3 that I have. Still looking for more.
By the way I am in TH.

Wow, thanks for the info. Im glad to finally see some others out there. I like that middle one. I guess i havent asked the right people in my area!

Wow, David. That bone handled Senator is a real beauty. I've been searching for a bone handle Wabash in good condition for a while. I want it because it relates to my roots in Indiana and relationship with the Wabash river (both the Big Wabash and the Little Wabash).

Thanks Jerry, being in TH my entire life I'm always looking for Wabash Cutlery.

jerryd6818 wrote:Wow, David. That bone handled Senator is a real beauty. I've been searching for a bone handle Wabash in good condition for a while. I want it because it relates to my roots in Indiana and relationship with the Wabash river (both the Big Wabash and the Little Wabash).

Jerry,
Where in IN are you from?

edge213 wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote:Wow, David. That bone handled Senator is a real beauty. I've been searching for a bone handle Wabash in good condition for a while. I want it because it relates to my roots in Indiana and relationship with the Wabash river (both the Big Wabash and the Little Wabash).

Jerry,
Where in IN are you from?

Born in Evansville. My first five or six years were spent in Illinois, then in December of 1950 my grandmother fell and broke her back. We moved back to Evansville so mom could tend her and was there (plus New Harmony for a year and a half) until we moved back to Illinois in 1958.

Hey David, ive been to a couple gun and knife shows around my area but do you have any info on the best one in our area? Ive been to the one at sullivan and around but just wasnt worth it.

cutitout wrote:Hey David, ive been to a couple gun and knife shows around my area but do you have any info on the best one in our area? Ive been to the one at sullivan and around but just wasnt worth it.

As far as knives go, there's not any really good ones. I went to the Sullivan show this month and it had more knife tables than any of the others in our area. The Dugger show has about as many. I think the next Dugger show will be in March. I didn't have a chance to go to the show in Brazil this past weekend but a buddy said there was quite a few knives.

small world......
i have been to TERRA HAUTE.....spent a week.
my wife has family there....... my father inlaw visits a couple times a year.
nice place. .....for me, IT WAS CULTURE SHOCK
me for them prolly too

hey,ya never know we coulda passed by each other and never known it
ever see a crazy lookin, beady eyed,black sock wearin' ,CALIFORNIAN ,with a dazed look in his eye?????
still pissed i didnt know there were drag races one nite..... nobody tells the NEWBIE
THEN I FOUND OUT JIM KNEW SOME BOYS RACIN ,coulda got us in (he said AFTER) ,...NEXT TIME!

Hey junebug, its the opposite with me. My wife has family in san fransisco! I havent made it out there yet but would love to go see the redwoods.

cutitout wrote:Hey junebug, its the opposite with me. My wife has family in san fransisco! I havent made it out there yet but would love to go see the redwoods.

And you don't have to drive all the way out to Yosemite to see them, although from what folks say, it's worth the trip.

A great day trip while in the San Francisco / Bay area is to start at Redwood City and take State Route #84 (La Honda Road) over the coastal range to San Gregorio. From there you can go short and turn north to Half Moon Bay and back to the bay cities via State Route #92 OR turn south and follow State Route #1 along the coast to Santa Cruz and then State Route #17 back up to Los Gatos. That south circle is only a little over a hundred miles from Redwood City back to Redwood city but it takes a sizeable chunk out of the day.

La Honda Road (State Route #84) is the star of the show and it runs through a stand of Giant Redwoods as it follows La Honda Creek down to the Pacific. Very nice drive with a lot of twisties for the bikers.

San Francisco is my favorite large city and I'm quite fond of the Bay Area. So much to see. So much to do.

people dont get it....till they ACTUALLY stand next to a GIANT REDWOOD TREE........most in life can not even fathom THE ACTUAL SIZE.....till they are standin there sayin: WHAT THE ................

SERIOUS DINOSAUR STUFF....LOLOLOLOLOLOL...."HUGE" DOES THEM ZERO JUSTICE
ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE REALLY


one thing that surprised me about Terra Haute........ the FLOODS and where people have there homes.......in said FLOOD area. .................that and what a COOL old court/jail house buildin up on WABASH (i think that was the street name?).............

Yeah i read an article in national geographic and the pictures were amazing. Couldnt imagine standing next to one. Definitely on my bucket list. Im 37 years young and just cant find the time or money to get out there. To many hobbies like buying knives! Which makes me wonder if there are any redwood handled pocket knives out there? Im sure there are.

junebug wrote:
people dont get it....till they ACTUALLY stand next to a GIANT REDWOOD TREE........most in life can not even fathom THE ACTUAL SIZE.....till they are standin there sayin: WHAT THE ................

SERIOUS DINOSAUR STUFF....LOLOLOLOLOLOL...."HUGE" DOES THEM ZERO JUSTICE
ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE REALLY


one thing that surprised me about Terra Haute........ the FLOODS and where people have there homes.......in said FLOOD area. .................that and what a COOL old court/jail house buildin up on WABASH (i think that was the street name?).............

Josh, I couldn't process the SIZE when I was standing next to one of those trees. It makes your brain go all sideways.

Re: Floods. Both Wabash rivers do get out of banks at times.

Carmi is on the Little Wabash River in White County Illinois.

I love the sign in the flood! I live about 10 miles from the white river. We had our share of water at times too. Heres is what i walked into at work a couple years ago.