All About Pocket Knives

Ok today we know Abercrombie & Fitch as that extremely annoying store in the mall that sells jeans for $150 that appear as though they have been through a garbage disposal.

It's hard to imagine that A&F long ago was a high-end sportsman's outfitter (similar to Orvis) that actually sold knives.

I recently sold this CASE XX USA stamped 32095 F SS fish knife with the main blade etched ABERCROMBIE & FITCH CO. Note that this knife was special made in that it has smooth black handles where the normal production knife would have yellow handles. Case did not change the pattern number on the knife; my assumption is that the special order was a short run so not worth a special pattern number stamp. I have seen and owned others exactly like this but never a mint one like this.

I also recently sold a CASE XX USA stamped 5265 SAB pattern with the same etch.

Others are welcome to post any A&F knives.

I recall in the late 1980's an upscale mall opened near where I lived with an A&F store, and at that point they still sold some knives (I recall Boker Solingen knives) but with no special etches.

Since you mentioned "Fish". I have an Abercrombie and Finch etched Puma fish bonker knife with the scale markings I'll post this afternoon. I'll dig in the safe and see if my memory is correct about a Ka-Bar marked A&F also but I believe that one is tang stamped instead of etched. ___Dave

It was A&F that got Gerber onto the cutlery business.
Ham Gerber had David Murphy make some carving sets for gifts for some of his ad agency customers.
A&F talked Gerber into making some to sell through their stores.
The rest, as they say, is history!

Here's the Puma fish knife. the other ones I thought were A&F marked are LL Bean.___Dave

That's a nice knife Dave

I always wanted one of those fish knockers like that one by Puma.

I have a pearl handled multiblade sleeveboard lobster made by Bruchmann in Germany. The master blade is deeply etched Abercrombie & Fitch.

Charlie Noyes

Miller Bro's wrote:That's a nice knife Dave

I always wanted one of those fish knockers like that one by Puma.

Yeah, me too. I should have bought one when I first got the itch because these days, they're a Brazillion dollars. (at least in context with my pocketbook)

My only Abercrombie & Fitch knife;a Joseph Rodgers fishing knife with built-in scale;hook dis-gorger and tweezers in the checkered horn handle;sheepfoot master blade with scissors and corkscrew. Somewhere around I also have a Russell made thistle handle hunter stamped Iver Johnson Sporting Goods Co Boston Mass;another old firm. Can't find the pics at the moment.

That J.R. is a Show Stopper ! Quite a valuable knife i think. Have you been able to find it in an old A&F catalog ? I am wondering about age.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:That J.R. is a Show Stopper ! Quite a valuable knife i think. Have you been able to find it in an old A&F catalog ? I am wondering about age.
kj

Thank you sir. Never really tried to find out it's age or if it was catalogued or not.Been in my collection for about 40 years.

What a great and storied outfitter they were. They started in 1892 right on the East River near the foot of Manhattan. Check out this link to a 1916 catalog (just click on the cover): https://archive.org/details/abercrombiefitch00aber

I guess their move from an outfitter to a hip, urban brand is not all bad, as witnessed by the 1916 swimsuit and the one from 101 years later!

Dennis

I have a 1909 A&F catalog and this Jos. Rodgers knife is not shown.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:I have a 1909 A&F catalog and this Jos. Rodgers knife is not shown.
kj

I don't think it is that old Roland;if I had to guess I would say post WWII.

Here is the Iver Johnson Knife made by Russell.

Quote: "I don't think it is that old Roland;if I had to guess I would say post WWII"

o.k., i had thought that checkered horn handles might indicate WW I era as that has been the stated age of other Jos. Rodgers folders with these handles that i have seen online. However other features like the weigh scale i have not seen before and perhaps indicate more recent date like you suggest.
Thanks for the 'correction'. I post statements in the hope that if not correct, they will get corrected as this is the only way to learn more.
kj

The blade is marked "stainless", stainless was not really used on pocket knives before 1915.

I would put that knife in the 1915-1930's era.

I see the age of this Jos. Rodgers knife with spring weigh scale as important. My understanding is that the sublime quality of the workmanship in Jos. Rodgers knives began a slow decline after WW I but even in 1930's their knives were still of exceptional quality. Then WW II happened after which the quality of workmanship declined significantly.
Hence i would place a value on this knife that would be double for 1915-30 over 1950.
Take everything i just said with a grain of salt, 'cause i'm a beginner with the Sheffield stuff.
kj