All About Pocket Knives

Good afternoon

Can I get a date range on this please? I know the Ka-bar chart is somewhat of a guide but flawed. This turned out to be a great blade when I got it in. Great snap, amazing. Thanks.

Hi Dan, with the KA-BAR over Olean NY and nickel bolsters and guard your knife must have been made between about 1946-1948 or 49 when the use of the KA-BAR over USA mark began. If it had steel bolsters it would have been circa 1943-1945.

What is your info source, Gunsil? This Ka-bar tang stamp chart I found (I thought on AAPK) says Ka-bar over U.S.A. is 1930-1940. Couldn't find Ka-bar over Olean at all, so it's obviously incomplete...

Oh, yeah...I like 'em, too

SteelMyHeart85420 wrote:What is your info source, Gunsil? This Ka-bar tang stamp chart I found (I thought on AAPK) says Ka-bar over U.S.A. is 1930-1940. Couldn't find Ka-bar over Olean at all, so it's obviously incomplete...

The issue with these tang/ricassso stamp charts is that almost none of them are 100% accurate. I say almost because there MAY be one or two out there with no errors, but I doubt it.

The errors stem from multiple causes -

- some times, it's as simple as a company reused a stamp for some unknown, but logical (to the company) reason.
--- an example of this is Western's WESTCUT line

- some entries on a specific chart are assigned with incomplete knowledge, whether from misinformation or inadequate knowledge - Western has a bunch of these.....

----- a specified time frame may be correct for FOLDING knives but not FIXED blades, and vice versa.
----- a specific stamp and time may be correct for SOME models, but different stamps may be used on other models at the same time

- sometimes a specific stamp usage date is based on PURCHASE date, but the knife was actually made during an earlier (sometimes years) period.

- someone MAY have made a date range based on faulty memories, and it stuck, and then someone uses this faulty "common knowledge" as the basis for a date assignment.

And probably some other reasons I can't think of right now.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.

Gunsil wrote:Hi Dan, with the KA-BAR over Olean NY and nickel bolsters and guard your knife must have been made between about 1946-1948 or 49 when the use of the KA-BAR over USA mark began. If it had steel bolsters it would have been circa 1943-1945.

Gunsil it appears to have the nickel bolsters, thanks.

Ilikemtoo!

I like them too.

That's a beauty, there, wazu013.

SteelMyHeart85420 wrote:What is your info source, Gunsil? This Ka-bar tang stamp chart I found (I thought on AAPK) says Ka-bar over U.S.A. is 1930-1940. Couldn't find Ka-bar over Olean at all, so it's obviously incomplete...

That chart was put out by the KCC (KA-BAR Collectors Club) in the late 1970s and has MANY errors in it. The folks in Olean who put that chart out had no real basis, just guessing and some info from an old timer or two whose memory was incorrect. I have the largest selection of original KA-BAR catalogs, price lists, and brochures and this is where I get my irrefutable info. I have given many to the present day KA-BAR people since they have very little original old company paper. As ZZZZY says there are mistakes in many tang stamp charts. For instance it is a fact that the Case tested XX stamp on pocket knives did not end in 1940, it ended after the war, but few folks wish to accept this info since it is "written".

I like 'em too!!

Give me those Gene!

I'll send them right out Dan!! LOL!!

Gunsil wrote:I'll send them right out Dan!! LOL!!

Both are awesome but the top one is special in my eyes, I dont love hobos but love the frame and the cut swedge and crescent match strike pull blades they have. That knife so so cool.

You mean, sorta like this?

Ken

Ken, that is a beautiful museum piece.

Thanks Joe. I'm proud to be its caretaker for a while.

Ken