worn tang stamp

[pearlgearl]

I have a BUNCH of rooster nutters, most of them have the same stainless handle even though they are made by different companies or at least tang stmaped to different companies, like Ulster, Jack knife Ben, Kutmaster. I found one that is more original with rounded edges. The tang stamp is pretty worn though and so I cant find much on it so Can you help me identify this knife? Starts with W ends in Co and has a star on tang

[toomanyknives]

Enhanced it a bit. Still hard to make out. A picture of the whole knife might help too..

IMG20230827204647 knife.jpg (51.68 KiB) Viewed 598 times

[Ridgegrass]

Nice one. Looks like it could be: WYETH HDW. & MFG. CO., St. Louis, MO. USA & Germany. Hardware dealer 1859-1989 J.O

[Ridgegrass]

Show us the whole knife. Looks like a Barlow pattern bolster? O'.

[Mumbleypeg]

The OP says it is one of those stainless steel handled veterinary knives (All stainless including handle covers, so it can be sterilized in boiling water). Says it’s like a rooster nutter, but the blade in the picture looks like a regular spay blade.

A picture of the whole knife would be interesting but in this case probably not much help in determining the maker. A lot of companies made veterinary knives. My first thought on seeing the stamp was W. HDW. Co., which would be Wyeth. Böker stamped a star on knives they made for Primble, don’t know if they did it elsewhere.

Ken

[rustof]

The OP says it is one of those stainless steel handled veterinary knives (All stainless including handle covers, so it can be sterilized in boiling water). Says it’s like a rooster nutter, but the blade in the picture looks like a regular spay blade.

A picture of the whole knife would be interesting but in this case probably not much help in determining the maker. A lot of companies made veterinary knives. My first thought on seeing the stamp was W. HDW. Co., which would be Wyeth. Böker stamped a star on knives they made for Primble, don’t know if they did it elsewhere.

Ken

OK so a couple of things struck out to me....first - when you say veterinary knives do you mean you could have any other pattern type of knife (I have camp knives, swiss army knives, lockbacks, etc) with stainless steel handles are called "veterinary"? I've been trying to find out what to call a knife like that for a while now...

Second, Boker put the star on the Primble knives? I've heard that somewhere I believe...but how did Boker get away with putting USA on a Solingen knife? EDIT :: Actually just checked the tang of a couple of mind and they don't say USA -OR- Solingen.... so any idea where it was made?

[Mumbleypeg]

The OP says it is one of those stainless steel handled veterinary knives (All stainless including handle covers, so it can be sterilized in boiling water). Says it’s like a rooster nutter, but the blade in the picture looks like a regular spay blade.

A picture of the whole knife would be interesting but in this case probably not much help in determining the maker. A lot of companies made veterinary knives. My first thought on seeing the stamp was W. HDW. Co., which would be Wyeth. Böker stamped a star on knives they made for Primble, don’t know if they did it elsewhere.

Ken

OK so a couple of things struck out to me....first - when you say veterinary knives do you mean you could have any other pattern type of knife (I have camp knives, swiss army knives, lockbacks, etc) with stainless steel handles are called "veterinary"? I've been trying to find out what to call a knife like that for a while now...

Second, Boker put the star on the Primble knives? I've heard that somewhere I believe...but how did Boker get away with putting USA on a Solingen knife? EDIT :: Actually just checked the tang of a couple of mind and they don't say USA -OR- Solingen.... so any idea where it was made?

Some veterinary knives have all stainless steel construction. Not all of them do. The main identifying trait of a veterinary knife is the blades/tools it has, for surgical purposes like neutering an animal. See these examples (not my knives).

IMG_5836.jpeg (51.71 KiB) Viewed 437 times

As for other examples you listed, if they have all steel construction they should be capable of sterilization in boiling water, but that may have been incidental rather than the primary intent of using steel for handle covers. However they are not “veterinary knives”. For example I have seen eating set knives having all stainless steel construction, made to be sterilized by boiling.

Regarding your Boker question, Boker marked some knives they made for Primble (Belknap Hardware) with a star. Other companies also made knives on contract for Belknap - those do not have a star. Hermann Boker & Co. is one of the oldest names in American cutlery, founded in 1831 in New York City by immigrants Hermann and Robert Boker. The company initially imported cutlery from Sheffield, England and Germany. In 1899 they began manufacturing pocketknives in Newark, NJ, and in 1929 moved to a new factory in Maplewood, NJ. In 1869 their cousin Heinrich Böker had opened a factory in Solingen, Heinrich Böker & Company, to manufacture cutlery which was distributed by Boker USA. Boker USA also continued manufacturing quality cutlery in the U.S.A. until the factory was closed in 1984, after which the name, trademarks and distribution rights were sold to Heinrich Böker of Solingen Germany. - source: Levine’s Guide to Knives

The Tariff Act of ~1890 (I forget the exact year) required foreign-made knives imported for sale into the U.S.A. be marked with the country of origin. Knives made in the U.S. for sale in the U.S. required no such marking, until 1965. In 1965 U.S. customs law required knives made in the U.S. for sale in the U.S. also be stamped with their country of origin. Thus we began seeing all knives made here stamped U.S.A. (even though some were likely already stamped as such).

So a knife made post-Tariff act having no country of origin was probably made in the U.S. (else it was in violation of the Tariff Act). After 1965 it had to be marked with country of origin including U.S.A.

If you’re not confused by now I explained it clearly!

Ken

[rustof]

Thank you that made it clear as mud

No seriously thank you for the good information!

[pearlgearl]

I will have to run across that knife again to upload more pics, but I had 2 tubs of knives. Then I also had a collection of veterinary blades and rooster nutters. My husband inherited these knives from his father who had a degree in poultry science from A&M. He had a collection of nutters. He had a friend who collected knives that passed away, he paid the widow for his collection. That guy Mike was a veterinarian and collected all things sharp. He had an extensive collection of veterinary blades. He had also started at the letter A in Goins and gone through it to Z. That is why you see so many lesser known makers from the early 1900's. Back to veterinary blades, that blade with the star, I found in with the vet stuff and it does have a nutter, is a spay blade the same as a castrator?