All About Pocket Knives

One of my many favorite old MA companies is Torrey from Worcester MA - 1858-1963… The company was indeed well known for their razors and merged with William Cowlishaw and Joseph Turner in 1880 (both emigrated here from Sheffield)… Mr. Turner and Mr. Torrey were the main organizers of the new Torrey company… Prior to 1880 they were known for their razor strops and straight razors - razors were imported for sale from Sweden and England (and maybe Germany)… After 1880 they began to produce their own razors and some pocket knives… their pocket knives appeared to be far less numerous than razors and seems some if not all pocket knives were contracted out to companies such as Burkinshaw…. One thing I can say is that their pocket knives were no doubt of high quality just based on all I have handled… I have 4 Torrey knives to show on the thread with the following being the first…

MOP 4-Blade Senator - Engraved Aluminum Bolsters (3 & 5/8”)

IMO I believe this to be one of their earlier knives - a large 4 blade Swell-Center Senator at 3 & 5/8” long (it is not small and has some girth – probably should have included a ruler for reference) .. fancy engraved aluminum bolsters with a more unique design in a certain sense (remember back in the late 1800s aluminum when first used was valued in the same category as gold and silver)…. Somewhat of a different design on the aluminum bolsters compared to the aluminum-handled knives that I have or have seen from other companies… I really like their use of the brass pins which accentuates the middle of the flowers ) …. While the two master blades have long pulls note the pen and manicure blade sport nail nicks. All hard snapping blades and all blades fall into their respective slots in the frame with no problem – one issue is a small metal mite bite near the tip of one master blade… now I have read somewhere and than again heard separately from a experienced MA collector that Burkinshaw made a fair amount of Torrey pocket knives – indeed this one was most probably made by Burkinshaw as discussed when I picked it up at the last NCCA show …. (Just as an aside Burkinshaw also made knives for Osgood Bray & Co in MA – Burkinshaw knives were indeed a wanted commodity in those days by companies and individuals… and still nice to have today as well )

I think a few others here on AAPK also like Torrey (Mike – galvanic1882 if I remember right also likes Torrey – if you would like to add your Torrey knives please do share them… I will also get my others up on this thread…

That is quite the special knife.
I have been trying to capture some of those early aluminum knifes because most people do not realize how valuable they were at that time. You HAD to have big denaro-s to own anything Al.. Adding to that , it was generally a jeweler that did the engraving. The material was too valuable/special to trust a run of the mill engraver.

I love it! Great knife!!!

Just to venture a guess at age, I would think closer to the early 1950's. My great aunt had an Aluminum tray w/ 4 Al "Hi-Ball" glasses, and an Al. cocktail shaker.
The engraved pattern was very similar. I know this because my sister still has that set.
The earliest examples of the Al. knives were much more ornate.

Just my thoughts. I could be way off.

Beautiful, Lee, that is a first class piece of cutlery there. Congratulations on that one.
Looking forward to seeing the others.

Thanks Ken and Joe ...

Ken - not sure with all due respect with it being a later knife for a few reasons despite it being similar to the aluminum tray of your great Aunt and now sister (it seems the design as you alluded to was used by the jewelers who probably did the work - many were flower-vine type patterns)... Also and probably more importantly I am not sure Torrey made knives after the early 1900s (and I have heard that from very respected knowledgable collectors) and aluminum was rarely used after that time period for knives, if at all - but this is only based on my looking into it - and no doubt I can be wrong... but this is only based on my reading and seeing knives with aluminum handles or bolsters... also based upon the trusted seller of the knife who is a MA collector ...

I agree Lee that Torrey MOP senator is late 19th century perhaps very early 20th century but no later than that. By the way that is one wonderful vintage folder

LongBlade wrote:Thanks Ken and Joe ...

Ken - not sure with all due respect with it being a later knife for a few reasons despite it being similar to the aluminum tray of your great Aunt and now sister (it seems the design as you alluded to was used by the jewelers who probably did the work - many were flower-vine type patterns)... Also and probably more importantly I am not sure Torrey made knives after the early 1900s (and I have heard that from very respected knowledgable collectors) and aluminum was rarely used after that time period for knives, if at all - but this is only based on my looking into it - and no doubt I can be wrong... but this is only based on my reading and seeing knives with aluminum handles or bolsters... also based upon the trusted seller of the knife who is a MA collector ...

Lee, I am 100% sure that you know way more about it than I do.
The ONLY reason I brought it up was because that pattern of the stylized suns is something that you do not easily forget.
Another reason I remember the pattern is because when I was 6 or 7 I used the tray as a frisbee, and caught my 4 year old brother on the forehead.
I grew up w/ that set...

I trust your opinion far more than mine on this. No doubt!

Lee, Excellent thread. Here's a small one etched TORREY'S BEST. I have others....somewhere? I know some were made by Empire.

Thanks again all

Ken - I am not more of an expert than you buddy... just opinions and guesses based on background ...

Thanks Lloyd for your opinion - much appreciated!!

Thanks Barry - and nice etched Torrey ... thanks for sharing that one

Here's another Torrey - a Torrey Peanut or Serpentine Jack with etch as well ...

Thanks Lee!
I have to ask a question...

I JUST started collecting/learning, and searching.
Does this OCD kind of feeling ever wain? Or is it something that a knife nut has to live with?

The collections of knives I have never heard of are almost limitless, and most if not all of the examples you fellas have are mind numbing!

I'm afraid you will have to live with it Ken ... but in my experience my selection of knives to buy has evolved in a certain sense - not so much focus as condition..... It's all about fun and if that is not there than I know it is time to stop .... of course one's wallet plays in to to that as well .... but there is so many types of collectors from different standpoints that honestly whatever you do is not wrong - it is whatever trips your trigger I personally like the focus many have on AAPK though it may not be my own - that is what makes knife collecting really interesting and I respect all of them!! In terms of finding knives - that is the hunt part which can sometimes really be great given the venue....

Cheers!
Lee

I understand every word of that Lee.
Thanks, and Cheers!

I'm going to find a sponsor now... , and a Valium.

Great knives and another informative history lesson! Thanks Lee. 1fartsmella, very nice etched Torrey!
Dan

Thanks Dan ...

Beautiful little serpentine jack, Lee.

Nice one Lee. Here's another one. A few years back (2010 - 2012) Knife World had an article about 2 unusual Empires. They had a unique patent for a semi automatic blade opening feature. One was a 2 blade pen knife. When closed, if you press on the pen blade, the master blade pops up about 1/4" so you can pinch the blade to open without using the nail nick. The same for the pen blade, press the master and the pen pops up. The only one I've ever seen is the one pictured in the article.
The other knife in the article was a unique cigar cutter pen knife. It has 3 blades, A cutting blade, a file, and a short little cigar cutter blade. Squeeze the file when closed, and the cigar cutter pops up. The cigar cutter only opens enough to fit a cigar tip.
A few weeks after I read the article, I found what I thought was this cigar cutter pen knife. (Yes, it was on ebay.) I wasn't sure until it was in my hand. Yes, it is the knife with the pop up cigar cutter, but this one is marked Torrey. I have yet to see another. Notice in the last scan, the file sits up slightly. A little squeeze and the cigar blade pops up to the open position.

Wow - what an a awesome knife Barry ... no doubt a unique opening mechanism but that knife has all one would want in one ... and cool history on the connection to Empire for that mechanism ..... hope to see you in Marlborough but when never knows these days....

Beautiful knife and story, Barry. Thanks for posting that.

I also have this Torrey Physicians knife. The pearl is cracked on both sides. Not many of these around, from the days when doctors made house calls. Likely by horse and buggy. I wonder how much of the visit was covered by insurance, and how much was the copay for a house call?

1fartsmella wrote:I also have this Torrey Physicians knife. The pearl is cracked on both sides. Not many of these around, from the days when doctors made house calls. Likely by horse and buggy. I wonder how much of the visit was covered by insurance, and how much was the copay for a house call?

Maybe a basket of eggs.

Wow some great knives posted guys. Here is my Torrey. I have a little brochure that shows razors and some knives I'll have to dig it out and take some pictures. The handles on this one are pressed horn. It's 4 1/2" closed. Sorry for the crappy pictures!

Great old Drs knife Barry ... crack or not in MOP it has some nice blades....

Super Torrey Mike ... etch and all is really nice!!!

Thanks for sharing both those beauties.....

Mike ,that is some knife!

Nice one Mike. I have one last Torrey. It's a pearl whittler. It came with a paper sticker on the back handle. Maybe it was a display case knife, or a sales mans sticker? The pearl is cracked in the back side. The stamp is different, TORREY is not inside a box. I would like to think it was made by Burkinshaw.

Everybody is posting high end knives. I'm enjoying the show and history lesson. Thanks

Nice Barry .... no doubt that was a Burkinshaw style with the the swell-center with that blade style - many were such in that $90K last sold display at auction....