All About Pocket Knives

Bought this locally the other day and from what I have found researching here is that it is from 1916-1939. It what I assume are green bone covers, which from what I found on here places it closer to 1916 than 1939. They are kind of a cloudy translucent around the edges. The tang stamp on the master blade is Robeson with SureEdge in script below it but I can't read what is below that. Sadly someone in the past had cleaned the blades up with fine grit sandpaper or steel wool. I was just wondering if the info I could was correct.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Matt

Charlie will be in here shortly to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about that knife, a beautiful knife, I might add.

sure LOOKS "red" to me.....
why do you think it is green????

nice knife!!!!!!! looks made around ww2 to me, just goin off looks......like said b4 ,charlie will be round
with some tang stamp date info


<edit- by ME>>>>>>>
JUST NOTICED IT HAS 2 DIFF TANG STAMPS.......ONE ARCHED.........COOL

Sure looks red to my uneducated eyes.

I think I saw this knife the other day. If not it has a doppelganger in KY. I almost bought it but passed on it, sure is pretty though.

philco wrote:Sure looks red to my uneducated eyes.

junebug wrote:sure LOOKS "red" to me.....
why do you think it is green????

nice knife!!!!!!! looks made around ww2 to me, just goin off looks......like said b4 ,charlie will be round
with some tang stamp date info


<edit- by ME>>>>>>>
JUST NOTICED IT HAS 2 DIFF TANG STAMPS.......ONE ARCHED.........COOL

Well in my defense I am red/green color blind. Haha I just compared it to a confirmed green scaled one in a pic that's how I came to that conclusion. But yes they very well could be red. I don't think the color showed up very well in the pics. Either way here are some different pics of it.

sextonknifeworks wrote:I think I saw this knife the other day. If not it has a doppelganger in KY. I almost bought it but passed on it, sure is pretty though.

If it was in Owensboro then I'd say it the same one.

...HEHEHEH ...well you bein BLIND......and me DEAF.....i dunno what that makes PHIL!! !!LOLOLOLOLLOL

BUT.........SHE IS WHAT MA DAD WOULD CALL: RED ON THE NOODLE LIKE A PECKER ON A POODLE.

I have deliberately delayed writing a respondent post re' this knife. I wanted to do some pictorial research first.

I was bothered by that bone. I have never seen that exact bone on a Robeson knife before.

I looked at all the knives of which I have photos, both those I own and those I've seen on the internet and found interesting enough to copy the pictures.

I've looked at all of them now and still have not seen that particular bone.

It is decidedly red, but it is not Robeson's famed strawberry bone, nor should it be on a knife of that age.

Most all Robeson knives prior to 1948 had green, brown, tan and an almost black colored bone.

The only two examples I managed to find that even hinted "red" will be shown below, but they are not like the OP knife.

Also, the bone is not fitted to the bolsters in a manner consistent with Robeson's quality.

The handle pins and bolsters are quite shiney and smooth, although I suppose they could have been buffed or polished at any time.

The blades, although nice, show more age than do the handles.

Robeson made a very few versions of these small, equal-end cattle knives. I'm not sure I've ever seen one with a Federal shield on it.

I think the knife has most likely been fairly recently rehandled.

Here is the only pic, of a two blade jack I have, that even comes close to that bone and a three blade stockman with rose/red handles, but not like the OP knife.

Last is a photo of a similar small cattle knife. That is the shield I usually see on such knives.

Charlie Noyes

RobesonsRme.com wrote:I have deliberately delayed writing a respondent post re' this knife. I wanted to do some pictorial research first.

I was bothered by that bone. I have never seen that exact bone on a Robeson knife before.

I looked at all the knives of which I have photos, both those I own and those I've seen on the internet and found interesting enough to copy the pictures.

I've looked at all of them now and still have not seen that particular bone.

It is decidedly red, but it is not Robeson's famed strawberry bone, nor should it be on a knife of that age.

Most all Robeson knives prior to 1948 had green, brown, tan and an almost black colored bone.

The only two examples I managed to find that even hinted "red" will be shown below, but they are not like the OP knife.

Also, the bone is not fitted to the bolsters in a manner consistent with Robeson's quality.

The handle pins and bolsters are quite shiney and smooth, although I suppose they could have been buffed or polished at any time.

The blades, although nice, show more age than do the handles.

Robeson made a very few versions of these small, equal-end cattle knives. I'm not sure I've ever seen one with a Federal shield on it.

I think the knife has most likely been fairly recently rehandled.

Here is the only pic, of a two blade jack I have, that even comes close to that bone and a three blade stockman with rose/red handles, but not like the OP knife.

Last is a photo of a similar small cattle knife. That is the shield I usually see on such knives.

Charlie Noyes

Thank you for that response. So I guess everyone agrees it's be recovered. My assumption is that the bolsters were buffed and cleaned when they did the blade. There is some pitting on springs if that matters. Even though it was probably recovered, this bone is probably the prettiest I have ever seen on a knife. I'll love it just the same as if it was all original. Any idea on the age of the blades by the stamps Charlie?

I did not see a clear photo of the stamp, but if it is:

ROBESON / ShurEdge / ROCHESTER, N.Y.

that would date it 1911 - 1921, according to Tom Kalcevic in Knives Can Talk!

If the "N.Y."designation is not present, Tom dates it 1922 - 1939.

Ignore the stamps on the secondary blades, they have no known bearing on dating the knife.

It is a fine knife. If I came across it at a show and the price was right for what it is, I'd buy it and carry it.

Charlie Noyes

Well I can't make out anything on the last line of the stamps except for Roc. So I'll just live with that it was made sometime before 1939. Thank you for all the information and help.