All About Pocket Knives

I am not a Keen Kutter collector - Does this Tang Stamp / number 887 give any indication of date range? or other info - Thanks

tnorton wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 2:03 am I am not a Keen Kutter collector - Does this Tang Stamp / number 887 give any indication of date range? or other info - Thanks

1940 to 1960. While Shapleigh Hardware owned the KK name.

edge213 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 3:34 am

tnorton wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 2:03 am I am not a Keen Kutter collector - Does this Tang Stamp / number 887 give any indication of date range? or other info - Thanks

1940 to 1960. While Shapleigh Hardware owned the KK name.

Thanks David - I searched for a Keen Kutter tang stamp chart - no luck

tnorton wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 2:16 pm

edge213 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 3:34 am

tnorton wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 2:03 am I am not a Keen Kutter collector - Does this Tang Stamp / number 887 give any indication of date range? or other info - Thanks

1940 to 1960. While Shapleigh Hardware owned the KK name.

Thanks David - I searched for a Keen Kutter tang stamp chart - no luck

Alvin Sellens put together a great reference book on KK knives. On Amazon if you're interested.

thanks redrider

Schrade did a lot of knives for them in those days. That one looks like the turkish clip stockman pattern with propwood handles. Those were made during the early to mid-fifities.

Eric

ea42 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 09, 2022 11:16 pm Schrade did a lot of knives for them in those days. That one looks like the turkish clip stockman pattern with propwood handles. Those were made during the early to mid-fifities.

Eric

Now that you mention it - I compared to Schrade Walden 825 very close and the handles i compared to 832 with the prop wood handles - I think your on to something Eric

Napanoch and Winchester made early KK's, Schrade and (Camillus/someone else???) made the more recent ones.

Napanoch never made the early Keen Kutters. Walden Knife Co made the early ones and continued to do so after Simmons Bought them out in 1902. Fast forward to 1919 when Winchester decided to get into the knife making business via acquisitions. They purchased the Eagle Knife Company and Napanoch Knife Co and moved the equipment to New haven, Ct. This wasn't quite cutting it so in 1922 they merged with Simmons and in the process got the Walden Knife Co, whose employees and equipment they also moved to New Haven. It was at this time that Winchester was producing the Keen Kutter knives and continued to do so for some time. Around 1940 Shapleigh bought Simmons and during this time Keen Kutter knife production moved to Schrade and others. This is also the time that the tang stamp changed to just Keen Kutter, with the old St.Louis portion omitted.

So it was possible that some ex Napanoch employees made Keen Kutter knives whilst working for Winchester but Napanoch Knife Co itself was never involved.

Eric

Thanks for the clarification, Eric.

Any time amigo!

Things definitely did get convoluted between the companies back then.

Eric