All About Pocket Knives

Middle knife, then a close up of the etching in the grove....

Can't make it out Scott

It may be written in Finnish.
I sure can't read it!

Finish knives either were marked "Made in Finland" and were made mainly for tourists or were marked in Finish. The ones marked in Finish are generally more collectible and are just a step above for Puukko collectors. I can't read Fin either but I have friends who can (none handy at the moment) that i contact when I have one I need to know something about. Most of the ones that are marked in Fin are the guardless, more traditional style. ___Dave

Great looking knife Scott. It looks like the handle is layered birch bark. I can't read the etch but it would likely be the makers name and place of manufacture. The fuller was generally adopted after 1905 on Finnish knives. I would guess this is about WWII vintage.

Here is a good article, written in English, regarding Finish knives and the renown maker Iisakki Järvenpää.
https://nordiskaknivar.wordpress.com/20 ... kkos-11-2/

Scott the knife is a Finnish Boy Scout knife, first made in 1928 and still being made today, same pattern, no changes, so they are hard to date. The first ones were made by Iisakki Järvenpää and likely that is what is written in the groove of your knife.
I have many Puukkos all with the loopy-loo writing either in the fuller or flats if no fuller. The loopy cursive script along with Finnish often having 2 vowels together (like "aa" or "ii") make impossible for a non-Finn to read.
The only signature i can read on my Puukkos is "Kusta Lammi".
kj