All About Pocket Knives

This knife was sold as part of a large lot - the seller had no info on the knives he listed. Perhaps someone here can attach a model number to this Westaco?

The basics: 3-3/8" closed length stockman with waterfall celluloid covers. The bolsters, pins and shield appear to be nickel and the liners are brass. I *think* the blades and springs are stainless but I could be mistaken about that. The only mark on the knife is on the pocket blade tang - an arched WESTACO with MADE IN USA underneath.
Some info given in the tang stamp thread where I first posted the knife:

zzyzzogeton wrote:
The WESTACO line initially shows up in the 1931 catalogs as a lower cost alternative to the Western States line of knives. One of those Great Depression Era things. The knives were made of the same materials and with the same care by the same people, just marketed differently and at a lower price.

TKMWWW states that the WESTACO line came out and then Mr. Platts developed the double/split tang fixed blade construction method. Since he applied for the patent in 1931, this would imply that the WESTACO line started maybe as early as 1928 to 1930. I've never seen any advertising from that era to corroborate that thought, though.

So, generally, I put these as 1931 to 1941 BUT........ your's has a "MADE IN USA" line under the WESTACO stamp. One of my rules of thumb that I use with Westerns is that MADE IN USA usually means "made after WW2". The advertising available for the early post-war period is slim. There was a lot of stuff made between 1945 and 1950, but no catalogs from that era have surfaced. Maybe they never had one, just flyers.

I never ran across an ad for WESTACO knives in the outdoors/sporting magazines that I researched through on the 1930s and 1940s, but if the WESTACO line was the "cheaper" line, the methods of advertising that line would have been via cheaper methods than magazine ads.

So, by known information, yours is 1931 to 1941, but it could be a post-war late 1945 to 1949 knife with that MADE IN USA stamp.

How about starting a new WESTACO knives thread with full pictures of yours. Maybe we can figure out if yours is a 1931-1935 or a 1936-1941 based on handles & blade(s) shape/configuration.

I don't have any knives with that mark but I do own a very early Western States manufacturing Co. original catalog and price list. The price list is dated to October 1925 and there is a reference to several Westaco knives in the price list. In 1925 I don't think Western States was manufacturing anything and I think all the knives, shears, and razors in the catalog were made on contract for them. I have been told by a couple of collectors that this late 1925 price list is the earliest reference to Westaco knives so far known.

Great info, Gene.

Western States started manufacturing folding knives in Boulder in late 1919, after Harlow Platts returned from England. He had served in the Army during WW1 and after it was over, he visited relatives in Sheffield. He attended a class on metallurgy at the University of Sheffield before returning home in the summer of 1919.

Prior to 1919, all Western States knives were made back east, mostly by Case, who partially paid H.N. Platts' for his shares in the W.R. Case & Sons cutlery company with knives, as well as Valley Forge Cutlery and Thomaston Knife.

Western made their first fixed blade knives in 1928, the model 63.

A little tidbit I learned just recently was that Western used their straight razor double grinders for putting the fullers on both sides of their WW2 G46-5 and G46-6 knives at the same time during the manufacturing process to reduce processing time.

Well I know Western was still contracting folding knives from Union Cut in 1926 so I can't bet that they were actually making any knives in 1919. Maybe they made a few but I think most were still contracted out in 1925. Wayne, did I send you a copy of the 1925 catalog and price list? The only hunting knives shown there are Marbles knives with Marbles marks. I have Marbles, Union/KA-BAR and Case made hunters with the Western States mark.

Gene - sorry for the late reply, but I just saw this one. Yes you sent me the catalog. Thank you.

Western did not make ANY fixed blades in-house until 1928. Prior to that, every fixed blade they sold was made by some one else. Many were marked WESTERN STATES in some manner, but they probably also sold them with the other makers stamps/etches as well, acting as distributors for the companies. Some of their 1928 offerings were unique while others were made by the companies you mentioned FOR Western.

I could easily see Western States Cutlery acting as a western jobber/distributor/staging location for eastern cutlers.