All About Pocket Knives

Now I m going to show you some REAL knives. Here is a couple, The kind your Grandad really had in his sock drawer while he was handing you his Old Timer playing dumb. TOP L TO RIGHT.

1972 ish Western USA Stockman pattern
1962/3ish Western BolderTrapper pattern
And. the puny little runt at the bottom is a full size 2002 Case Trapper for comparison
Both knives built like a Brick you know what. Both been sharpened once, by me. Have 3 position snap on the blades that will vibrate your hand. Both 4 inches of Blue Collar Get-er-Done goodness: Chrome Vanadium steel done RIGHT. Made in Bolder Colorado before 1977 when the plant closed and was bought by Coleman and shortly after the knives went downhill. And a part of Western American knife history bit the dust like a 59 Cadillac..........It ain't never comin back. I gotta stop I'm gettin all misty eyed.


We didn't come to look and learn, we came to turn and burn.

Nice knives, keep them in your grasp sounds like they have a lot of family value.

Welcome to AAPK. Glad to have you aboard. I love me some David Allen Coe and I love me some old Westerns from Boulder. Thanks for showing yours.

Yes, The trapper my dad bought after he came home from Vietnam and years later gave to me. The other one was my brothers Christmas gift and I had to trade him my Ambassadeur 5000 fishing reel (the one in the leather case ) to get it out of his little troll hands before he goofed it up.
I never use them but both family members are passed away now so I could never sell them. And besides Ive got doubles, triples and quadriples of the using kind.
You just don't know how many days I oogled these knives in the display case as a kid at the local sporting goods store wishing I had the money for one.
I was just mostly knockin the Tumbleweeds out of the Western thread. Kinda like an old Nevada ghost town down here.

Very good knives! Thanks for sharing them! It really makes them more special being family knives. Sounds like you have a nice collection. And my dad is a big Ambassador fishing reel collector!

I'm a big Western fan too, actually there are a few of us here. The Western Delrin seems to me to be some of the better done Delrin out there. If I'm not mistaken the Coleman buy out was in 1984. My first western was a 742c and I fell in love. Now I have several mostly from the Boulder Colo time period. I really like them.

Here are a set of bone scaled 74x patterns. 741, 742, 743, and 744. Also a mint in box 1967 Western Bowie with papers.

I can't find my pics of the rest of the pocket knives or the fixed blades. Needless to say I'm an addict, lol. And I don't have half the Westerns some of these guys do!

Keep posting them, we like looking at them!

Nice old Bones there Colonel. Especially the Rat, thats usually a toughy. I would have thought that some of those would
have been Western States knives.
I only have one or two older Western bone ones but I have bunches of Muskrats of all kinds as its my all time favorite pattern.
Utica. Vintage hens, Case, Bulldog, German eyeballs. I am compulsive at hoarding if I don't watch myself and am trying to get out of the habit. I once had an 800 reel collection of Penn reels, took up the whole garage and worked me to death, cleanin, oilin. Heck I even had a Marlin fightin chair and a rod rack full of Zane Grey typebamboo tuna rods. Took 6 years to sell off and I bet I could still dig up 60/70. Never again..............

Welcome here.
Here's a 4 1/2" English jack.

Thats a jaw dropper there Joe.

Thank you, sir. It is a nice knife.

Joe I love that one! Very nice.

Thank you, Wade.

Here's a little 3 1/4" swellcenter pen. Not a good stamp. Western States Boulder. (curved)

Another great one Joe. If I may ask, what's your experience with the celluloid on the old westerns? I've been tempted a time or two to pick up one of the old Western States cell knives, but my general fear of celluloid has kept me from it. I know some company's seemed to have had better celluloid than others. What is your experience with them?

That some of the prettier looking celluloid I ever seen on a Western States, Usually they are kinda antiquey beautiful ugly.
Don't know if this has been put up before but I came across this image the other day. That Display Case I always slobbered over as a kid, 77 model. Man that brought back memories. Its supposedly still on display in some Hardware store in Bolder


So now you collectors know what you gotta do. And I full expect matching sheaths and the oak case too. Git busy, yer slackin

Except for two, maybe three, knives, I have had no problems with celluloid.
I do have some in knife rolls now, which, I must admit makes me a little nervous.
I don't have any evidence, but for some reason I think having them enclosed may not be a good thing.
My knives have always been stored pretty open. Loose in boxes or drawers. Now, I have my better knives displayed open on a table. Sometimes covered with nylon material.
I know celluloid can be a real problem, but I like the various handle designs and colors.
I haven't counted them, but I must have at least 50 cells of various makers.

Welcome,seems you have the passion Mr. Diddy. I'd sure like to find this one.

Me too Lyle! I've often wondered when reading your posts is Western ever made a farmer's jack. That would be a dandy find!