All About Pocket Knives

Hi everyone. A former coworker gave me this knife a few years ago. He really didn’t know anything about it. I was admiring it this evening and thought I would see what people with more experience might know about it.

I did try to research it on the internet but didn’t turn up much. Thank you!

We will need to see the tang stamps where the blade pivots in the knife.
Clear pictures of both sides will help.
It's a nice looking knife.

Looks like probably a watch fob knife, as evident from the bail, or shackle, which was attached to a metal chain attached to a pocket watch. The knives typically have fancy gold or silver plate handles, sometimes engraved with the owner’s name or initials.

Ken

Thank you. I’ll have to wait until next Friday evening to post the pics you requested.

Based on the insignias, it appears to be a Knights of Columbus knife, likely given as a gift or award from the church to the member or possible a gift from one member to another. I’d say it was probably made sometime between 1930-1960, but the tang stamps will say more. If the blades are stainless it’s definitely newer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the knife is a German maker but it could also be an early Camco or Schrade knife that were sold in bulk to speciality dealers who affixed (likely) gold filled or brass handle scales.

The knife would have hung from the pocket watch chain just like this. T bar goes in the button hole of the vest, chain loops down and watch goes in vest pocket. Generally people wanted a fancy knife to display like this, or a knife that had some significance to them, as the one you pictured being K of C, or mine pictured which was the Masons.