All About Pocket Knives

This very nice, old Robeson large frame cattle knife has been on Ebay for a year or two. Asking price from the get-go has been $255.00. He's not dropped it a cent as far as I can recall.

The knife has been used, it has a spotted patina.

But, it has some long pulls, which are rare on Robeson knives and an indication of age. And, the blades are pretty full and close to original shape.

The master spear blade, is marked:

THE / ROBESON (arched) / CUT. CO. / ROCHESTER, N.Y.

Tom Kalcevic, in Knives Can Talk! dates that stamp 1896 - 1899, and if he's accurate with that, the knife would have been made in the old Sherwood - Bingham wood framed, single level cutlery building in Camillus, New York, which would eventually become The Camillus Cutlery Company after Adolph Kastor bought it shortly after 1900.

The word, "ShuEdge" is not included in the tang stamp. They didn't start using that logo until 1903.

The handles are worn and have that one little chip out of the front handle by the pen blade, but they were probably very nice picked bone when new. Age and use haven't hurt them much, because they still have lots of character and appeal. I like 'em!

The knife has no stamped pattern number.

I look at this knife at least once a week. Just cannot bring myself to buy it at that price.

But, Man, what a beautiful old piece of American cutlery in a hefty hand full of a working man's knife.

Simply Beautiful.

Charlie Noyes

Two more photos:

That's a great old one, and a great piece of history, it sure is amazing how every cutlery company's history is intertwined with that of many others. Wonder if you could find an identical Camillus or if the tooling went with Robeson? Thanks for sharing it!

I like the thread title ...and the knife. Charlie there is a Queen Titusville farmers jack that has been listed for about 3 years ,I believe at the same price.

I don't know about the tooling and/or machinery, but when Millard F. Robeson was enticed to relocate to an empty harvester factory building in Perry, New York, in 1900, the plant manager, foremen and many of the workmen went with him.

I don't know how long the plant in Camillus was not utilized, but I suspect it remained so until the Kastor brothers bought it and started their own manufacturing there. I don't know when they adopted the name, Camillus Cutlery Company.

Here's a photo of the building. To be honest, when one thinks about everything that goes into manufacturing pocket cutlery, it doesn't look like much could be accomplished in there, does it?

Looks more like an old school house.

Charlie Noyes

Beautiful old knife there. That spey has a lot of sass!

Not my brand but 5 years ago this knife would not have went past its first listing.