All About Pocket Knives

Picked up this Imperial Ireland last week and was wondering if anyone knew
anything about this knife. (It cleaned up pretty well in my opinion.)

3 1/4 in, pen/clip, 1.4 oz, no shield, no half-stop

Was it made in Ireland by Schrade? Approx. year made?
I saw some on ebay but they all had shields and had a crown symbol above
the word Imperial

Thanks,

Bob

According to the best information I have been able to find, Albert Baer purchase the Jowika factory in Listowel Ireland in 1978. The factory continued under the ownership of Schrade until it was closed about 18 months before the closing of the Schrade factory at Ellenville York.

I have absolutely no information on what was produced nor in what time frame. I know that is where Schrade produced the Irish Imperial branded knives and also some Schrade. I even have a Camco knife in my collection that is made with shell handle construction. I don’t have it in front of me right now, but I don’t think it is stamped Ireland, it may have been made in Providence at the Imperial factory there.

The best date I can put on your knife would be 1978 to 2003. A pretty broad range there, but I know of no one who has any records from that factory. You can find some of the products that were made in the Listowel factory by checking the Schrade catalogs. Towards the end of their operations they were making fewer of the Jackmaster brand knives and making more knives and tools under the Tradesman and Apex brands.

Your knife appears to be a shell handle.

I hope this helps, it’s about all I’ve got.

Thanks for the info Dale. I kinda thought it was made by Schrade.

Still am looking for a catalog to determine year made.

Bob

Larry Vickery has most of them listed on his site.

Schrade catalogs: http://collectors-of-schrades-r.us/Catalogs/index.htm

Here is the home page for Schrade: http://collectors-of-schrades-r.us/

That should keep you busy for a year or two!

I'll tell you this.....the IRELAND steel is very difficult to sharpen!