All About Pocket Knives

I was at our local flea market and pick up this a Imperial Kamp- King for 1.00. I remember these as a young boy in the sixties. I don't think it has a lot of value but what can you get for a buck

Hey Joe..... I don't know a thing about them, but I will triple your money for it right now! Just send it my way. Looks like a heck of a dollar deal to me! Smoke

Hi Joe, sounds like we're the same vintage. This is the brit version we had when we were kids in the UK, RICHARDS SHEFFIELD, 1950's/60's. I think IMPERIAL bought RICHARDS out in the 70's

I have a couple here somewhere. I have been using one in the kitchen to open cans that the electric can opener won't open well. I don't think it has the awl blade tho. I just use the canopener blade. It is made from regular steel and it will rust. Must be old too and I think I got it years ago at one of the first yardsales in this area. Probably cost a dollar?

Gunsmoke47 I think I'll hang on to it awhile
Remembering my childhood we use to throw these into trees. Built tough.


zorrothegreyblade we must be about the same age.Nice knife you have. Not to sure of RICHARDS only been collecting for a few months

Yes.... Richards owned Rodgers-Wostenholm for a brief period in the early 1970s and the lot was bought by Imperial in 1977. This lasted until 1983... when the whole thing went bust. s-k

JoeT wrote:Gunsmoke47 I think I'll hang on to it awhile
Remembering my childhood we use to throw these into trees. Built tough.


zorrothegreyblade we must be about the same age.Nice knife you have. Not to sure of RICHARDS only been collecting for a few months

I think Richards was the biggest cutlery maker in the UK after WW2 up to the 70's, most of their pocket knives were cheap and mass produced but servicable, every kid my age had one. I stabbed myself through the finger with one just like in the photo when I was about 7 or 8! Happy days!!!

Hello everyone

I just picked up another Imperial "Kamp King" along with a Colonial "Forest Master" 3-blade camping knife. Found them at an antique store today, $10 (US) for both. I really like the vintage "camping" knives. Does anyone here know when Imperial started and stopped production of the "Kamp King" knives? I tend to see them quite often at antique stores, gun shows, swap meets, etc where I live (Toledo, Ohio).
Mark

imperial kamp king - 1935-present (1998) - goins

Kamp Kings fun/cheap way to own a piece of history

lenny357 wrote:Kamp Kings fun/cheap way to own a piece of history

Hi Chris, hope you're fully clothed and sober! Like the scales on the bottom knife, never seen that pattern before. I amuse myself changing the old damaged plastic covers on Richards knives using thin patterned copper and aluminium sheet, I ought to get out more! I'll see if I can find something suitable to do a conversion on one of my old Brits and post it on a UK site, that should cause some head scratching!

Great little knives for not a lot of money.Enclosed find a couple of pictures of my grandfather's Kamp King.A quick story that I've related before:

This was the first knife I cut myself with when I was 8 years old.My grandparents raised me and that knife was always kept in my grandmother's sewing cabinet.Gramps used to pare his fingernails with it and it was as sharp as a razor(still is).

While I was in the service in 65 Gramps died and his house was sold by the time I returned home.My mother(unbeknownst to me)had managed to get my knives as well as a couple of Gramps before it was sold.

When she passed away in 1987 I was cleaning out her apartment and found my knives along with Gramps' knives.They now occupy a place of honor in my collection.Not worth much on the market but to me they are priceless.

Kamp Kings are fun to collect. They are plentiful, and despite their construction, take a good bit of use/abuse. I find that they have great snap, and the steel sharpens up quite well

I like the ones with different color scale wraps.

Also, if you like Kamp Kings, then you're really going to love the SUPER Kamp King. I've got a few of these, this one is somewhat used.



Glenn