All About Pocket Knives

I picked up this NYKC utility knife recently and have some questions my research hasn’t answered yet. I know NYKC made a BS1, BS, BS3 and BS4 Scout knives but this one is none of those. This one is a Model No. BB1 and I can’t find squat on this version. It has the exact same blade combination as their pre-1923 Scout Knife including the screwdriver and wire scraper on both sides not found on the post 1923 knives. And after conducting countless image searches I’ve turned up nothing on the guy on the shield. Doesn’t resemble known portraits of Columbus or Vespucci so they’re out. Certainly no American president. I reached out to the Twitter world but if it isn’t political or Hollywood no one there has any clues at all. Anyone here have any info on the BB1 or the guy on the shield I’d like to hear from you. It has a Harrison punch so it has to be made between 1902-1923.

Perhaps it’s Buffalo Bill Cody?

Ok, it’s about 1914. I can’t seem to copy the link to Blade Forums. If you just google Buffulo Bill pocket knife, it will show up.

Hey, I believe you may well be right! Maybe that’s a coon skin cap he’s wearing!

rcwar56 wrote:Hey, I believe you may well be right! Maybe that’s a coon skin cap he’s wearing!

Not coon skin, most likely beaver. It’s the kind of native “cap” that seems to have been common with trappers and hunters in the 1800’s.

It is indeed Buffalo Bill; in fact the pattern number BB stands for Buffalo Bill. When new they had a nice etch but I don't remember what it said.

I believe it is a boy scout etch.I have 1 somewhere with most of the etch.

Found this quote by Eric Albers from an old post somewhere on AAPK: "That knife came out in 1914 and was known as the BB1. Not really introduced as a scout knife, more of an all around utility knife, note the screwdriver/wire stripper blade. The master blade is a bit short on that example. The originals had a etch of Buffalo Bill's head and "Buffalo Bill, the Great Scout" printed on either side...."

More here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/let ... t-17994140

peanut740 wrote:I believe it is a boy scout etch.I have 1 somewhere with most of the etch.

I don't think the Boy Scout version had that shield. Similar knife, but not exactly the same.

This was AAPK Item #19753 that sold 12/30/2017 with a visible etch and BB1 pile side tag stamp.

This is AAPK Item #19751 that's for sale for $200 without an etch but a hard to find BB4 pile side tag stamp (https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... overs-727-).

tongueriver wrote:Found this quote by Eric Albers from an old post somewhere on AAPK: "That knife came out in 1914 and was known as the BB1. Not really introduced as a scout knife, more of an all around utility knife, note the screwdriver/wire stripper blade. The master blade is a bit short on that example. The originals had a etch of Buffalo Bill's head and "Buffalo Bill, the Great Scout" printed on either side...."

More here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/let ... t-17994140

Yes,that is it.The etch om mine is weak,and I hadn't looked at it for some time.