Electric Cutlery Company

[deo-pa]

I've had this one a while but only just got around to giving it a good cleaning and some Renaissance Wax protection. ELECTRIC (over) CUT CO. (over) WALDEN, N.Y. 3-3/8", brass liners, half stops, and good snap. Goins says 1910 -1920, so pushing 100 years old. What a nice old knife!

Dennis

[doglegg]

Dennis how can one improve on such a simple and beautiful knife? You have a jewel there.

[Duffer]

Dennis, wonderful old jack Just the kind of vintage/antique knife I look for and would be very pleased to find

[FRJ]

Nice one, Dennis. A keeper for sure.

[kootenay joe]

I have owned a few Electric Cut Co knives, bought at different times from different people in which the tang markings looked like they were made by a vibrating device. I have owned a few other Electric Cut Co knives in which the markings look like a 'proper' stamped marking.
Has anyone else come across E.C.C. knives with the odd amateurish looking markings ? Did Electric Cut Co mark their knives like this early on before they could afford to buy a stamping die ?
Dennis can you show a close up of the tang markings ?
kj

[deo-pa]

Dennis can you show a close up of the tang markings ?

Here is a photo, though it's not a very good one.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. As much as we all love gnarly stag, abalone, iridescent pearl, and so on there is something timeless and very satisfying about old bone.

Dennis

[gsmith7158]

A great old knife Dennis!
I have always found the history of this knife company to be somewhat intriguing. It seems to me there are 3 distinct periods in the history of Electric branded knives that made this company unique. I believe that the Friedman and Lauterjung Co. used the Electric brand name from 1871-90. Then in 1890 with the on set of the tariffs that America put in place, F&L built a manufacturing plant in Newark, NJ. and called it Electric Cutlery Co. Here is where it takes an odd turn in my view, 1902 with no more mention of F&L the president of Electric Cutlery Co. buys the New York Knife Co. It seems odd to me that a company that just bought another company would name it's own brand as a second to the company it just bought but apparently that's what they did and continued to produce Electrics in Newark ,NJ. until 1910 at which time they consolidated both companies in Walden NY. Another knife company history shrouded in lack of information. Imagine that.
I have some Electrics from each of those periods and I would be hard pressed to call any of them second line knives.

[deo-pa]

I was generally aware Greg of those three periods but did not realize that Electric bought New York Knife Co., I had just assumed that NY bought Electric.

I have some Electrics from each of those periods ...

Greg, please consider a post (perhaps in the Knife Lore forum) showing Electric knives from each of the three eras, maybe showing the stamp variations and anything else that might distinguish the era. I think that would be a great addition to the existing AAPK information on Electric Cutlery Co. Please note if you also have encountered the "amateur" vs. "proper" stamps that Roland mentioned.

I wonder what the old timers would think of collectors obsessing over tang stamps and other such minutiae. Fascinating!

Dennis

[gsmith7158]

Dennis I will do that at my first opportunity. Those old timers would most likely be amazed at how silly we are and probably say something like heck I just didn't hit that one as hard with the hammer.
Roland, are the knives with the odd stamp from Walden, NY. or Newark, NJ. I'm not sure that I have ever encountered one.

[FRJ]

I would love to see these stamps too.
Thanks Greg.

[kootenay joe]

I will look through what i have left of old USA knives and hope there some Electrics still here. I have sold most of my USA knives.
kj

[gsmith7158]

Roland I found this thread in an archives search. Perhaps these stamps are what you are referring to.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=54857&p=612715&hil ... o.#p612715

[kootenay joe]

Thanks Greg. I would call the stamping in the link 'normal but worn', not the type of marking i speak of as looking like made by a vibrating device.
kj

[Doc B]

Roland I found this thread in an archives search. Perhaps these stamps are what you are referring to.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=54857&p=612715&hil ... o.#p612715

The top OP in that thread looked like half of the stamp was worn away...and someone tried to "fill in the blank" with an engraver

[knife7knut]

Here are my only two Electric Cutlery knives.The sleeveboard is stamped Walden NY and the the ivory pen is stamped Newark NJ.The pen also has the Electric logo in lightning bolts stamped into the master blade but it is barely visible.

[gsmith7158]

Ray, a couple of beautiful knives there! I think perhaps the secondknife may be an early one from the Newark plant as it has the old style stamp from F&L on the secondary blade. I don't know if these were a case of left over blades or just a lead in from one era to another..

[stockman]

Dennis, Really nice old knife. I think this might be same as your knife.

Harold

[deo-pa]

I think this might be the same as your knife.

Yep, sure looks like it Harold.

Dennis

[kootenay joe]

I cannot find any of my Electric Cut Co knives. Perhaps they have all been ebayed to new homes. However the last post on page 1, 4th picture shows the "vibrating tool" type marking i am referring too. Some look even more 'vibrated' than that stamping: edges of letters are spikey instead of being a narrow line with clear edges.
Other Electric stampings have letters that are more crisp and clear.
Any comments on this ?
kj

[Doc B]

I cannot find any of my Electric Cut Co knives. Perhaps they have all been ebayed to new homes. However the last post on page 1, 4th picture shows the "vibrating tool" type marking i am referring too. Some look even more 'vibrated' than that stamping: edges of letters are spikey instead of being a narrow line with clear edges.
Other Electric stampings have letters that are more crisp and clear.
Any comments on this ?
kj

I see what you mean, on those KJ. Maybe they thought it made the word "Electric"...look a bit more energized. Any ideas on which would be older?

[gsmith7158]

I cannot find any of my Electric Cut Co knives. Perhaps they have all been ebayed to new homes. However the last post on page 1, 4th picture shows the "vibrating tool" type marking i am referring too. Some look even more 'vibrated' than that stamping: edges of letters are spikey instead of being a narrow line with clear edges.
Other Electric stampings have letters that are more crisp and clear.
Any comments on this ?
kj

Roland the one that you point out is a Walden, NY. Knife. Of course this is only conjecture but it could be that these stamps were a stop gap measure taken at the time when the Newark facility was closed and proper dies were not in place at the Walden Facility for Electric Cut Co. knives.

[kootenay joe]

Being unable to find any examples still with me, i am so pleased that the picture showing the 'vibrating' markings was posted, otherwise discussion would have ended.
Greg, i had thought something similar because the knives were well used and showed no signs i could see of having been worked on. However there are fakes out there in which the markings have been made with a vibrating tool and the effect is similar to this Electric marking, so the idea that the 'vibrating' Electric knives are fakes, was also present.
I have wondered about these markings for a long time so it is great to get the input from others.
kj

[Pile Driver]

I've got this interesting jack knife to bring to the table

[peanut740]

I've got this interesting jack knife to bring to the table
0304212108a~2.jpg

An early Electric.

[Pile Driver]

I've got this interesting jack knife to bring to the table
0304212108a~2.jpg

An early Electric.

Do you think this knife would be pre 1890? I've seen this stamp on secondary blades on some knives having the Newark NJ stamp