Here is one that I made myself, First One.

Seeing Gatorbaiter's outstanding stiletto collection made me pull this one out and take a couple of photos. Custom, rare or classic ? I don't know about that, but here's the story.
My dad was in Laredo, TX in early 1944 receiving aerial gunnery training prior to attending Navigation school and going on to serve as a Navigator on a B-24 out of Italy. I assume that he bought this knife while on leave from the Laredo base and visiting Mexico. He carried it inside his A2 flight jacket throughout his combat tour, probably more for the reassurance that it may have given a 20 year old in those circumstances than anything else. The handle was originally cow or ox horn but bugs ate it and it crumbled away. I replaced it with a bit of California muley antler from a buck I took back when you could still hunt deer in SouCal. The pommel and cross guard are brass. Senor Cruz wasn't very good at spelling, you can see where he crossed out the C and replaced it with the X in Mexico. It's as sharp as a needle.

A few of mine.

First: my old Buck. Bought it in the PX in Ft Richardson, AK, about 1965.

Next, The Laguiole I carry day to day. It has only a blade, no corkscrew, and is made by Fontenille Pataud. Scales of antler.

Last: an Opinel, another French knife. They're very inexpensive, used to cost less than 5 francs in France. This one has a fancy rosewood handle.

Attached Images

	L1020363.jpg (78.2 KB, 33 views)
	L1020764.jpg (42.4 KB, 30 views)
	L1020712.jpg (43.8 KB, 28 views)

Each one of those is a classic in its own way. I am especially fond of the Opinel, which still can be had in basic trim for about ten or twelve bucks from the manufacturer (which means you can probably find them cheaper on eBay). The locking mechanism is about as cheap, simple and elegant as can be.

I can put my hands on three of them right now, and have another two or three tucked away in various pieces of motorcycle luggage. I'm clad you included them in this thread. Classic does not necessarily mean expensive.

Bob Terzuola made this one for me about 25 years ago.

Attached Images

TERZUOLATERZUOLA-m.jpg (82.8 KB, 37 views)

__________________
NRA Life, COTEP 640

Couldn't agree more about the Opinels--the carbon steel ones, anyway. I have no experience with the stainless versions. The carbon steel (I seem to remember it's 1090, not used much in this country) takes and holds a fine edge and is easy to re-sharpen. Besides being simple and easy to use, they're very light to carry. Designed to be a working man's knife, and they fill the bill.

__________________
Oh well, what the hell.

While mine aren't near as nice as many of the knives already posted, I will throw them up here any how. While they are mass produced, I don't think they are that easy to find anymore, except for the Buck fixed blade and the BK&T.

Let's start with a Blackjack Mamba 7L made in Effingham, IL. Not my favorite knife because of the way it feels in my hand, too narrow for me.



Another one you don't see much of is a Benchmade Delta Ranger. Feels nice, sticky grip, balanced fairly good.



Here is a big, heavy work knife. I am sure I could chop a tree down with this thing if I had to. A BK&T Combat Bowie



What I consider to be one of the best looking knives ever mass produced. Long, sleek, balanced very nicely. A Cold Steel Black Bear Classic. I think they are making these again.






Not a classic, but like me, getting on in years. I have had this little guy for a very long time. The last time I was in the neighborhood I took it into the Buck factory and they cleaned and polished the little guy for 5 dollars. The perfect little two bladed pocket knife IMO. A Buck 305.



What collection can be complete without a K-Bar or two. Both of these USMC K-Bars were made by Camilus. These are modern era knives, bought from the .gov within the last couple of years. Both show use, one more than the other.



Like I said, not custom, not even that rare, but they are what they are.

bob

There's some seriously fine cutlery displayed here.

I have a bunch of knives, some are old, most are not really rare.

I do have this old thing, which might qualify for this thread. It was given to me by a neighbor after her husband passed.

Randall (Orlando), carried in China in WWII:





Works great for opening paint cans etc.

Some "Classic" and modern auto's.

This is about the opposite of classic or custom, but the rare in this comes about in a way that is special to me. This was my step father's knife he took to Desert Storm. I decided to take it with me when I was shipped of for OEF/OIF I thought maybe it should go back with me. So there are only a few bazillion of them but this one has two generations of being shipped of to great sandbox across the ocean:

I had that exact same model knife that was carried by my younger brother in Viet Nam. He was exposed to Agent Orange and died in the 80's of lung complications. I inherited the knife, and when my oldest son left for Iraq, I gave it to him; he carried it through Desert Storm and a later tour in Iraq and then in Afghanistan. He is a medic, and related a story to me of how he amputated an Iraq soldiers mangled finger with the knife on the battlefield during Desert Storm! He said that he treated more wounded Iraq soldiers than American ones.

No, there aren't a few bazillion of them. Cherish it as there truly is only one and therein lies the real value.

Bob

For a gun forum there sure are a lot of impressive knives lurking around. Much to be admired. I especially respect those like GF and 2fingers who have made their own. Great job.

Bob

Here's another one that's been to the sandbox and back.





You long gun guys may notice that the sailor(that's right, sailor. It ain't your dad's navy today) carrying the Randall has a little different rifle. That's because he's the unit's designated marksman, or what would have been called sniper back in the old days. My how times change...or maybe they really don't?

I owned that knife but have since passed it on to my retired USN son. I think it's found a good home.

Bob

That Model 14 with the Model 1 style hilt looks pretty good.

Randall (no1)



Another Randall (no 23)



Years ago, while I was active in Quail Unlimited, I became friends with Chuck Stapel ("Knifemaker to the Stars") Here's one of his:



My wife's 431 mag with her Bark River mini



Another Randall:



This is one of the shelves in the "man cave".


There's also a couple more Stapels, a couple more Randalls, a couple damascus, a couple of Bowies that I made, using knives, an M-3 trench, M-4 bayonet, that I don't have pictures of. All of my knives get used-no "shelf" queens.

A few knives from my J.A. Henckels collection:

__________________
Dave

Have you heard of Lee Benchmade knives? I purchased this really nice knife 20-25 years ago. It is 11.5" overall and has real stag handles.

I would appreciate any information on Lee Benchmade. Thanks!

Attached Images

	Lee Benchmade Logo.jpg (177.0 KB, 66 views)
	Lee Benchmade Knife.jpg (34.0 KB, 97 views)

Pilgrim6a,

Below is my one and only D. Arvel. Also a Remington bullet knife from 1980's with added ivory scales.







Charlie

I have a dozen or more home made knives that might be able to be passed off as custom but not rare or classic.


A Damascus Skinner with bloodwood and maple spacers


One of my early knives made from an old file.

__________________
Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

__________________
Mafuta54

Wow, I forgot I had some of these.............

__________________
Go big or stay home

My knifes made of obsidian, actually they are made in USA by some guy in Oregon:

Attached Images

	IMG_0614.JPG (165.0 KB, 62 views)
	IMG_0615.JPG (128.9 KB, 53 views)
	IMG_0617.JPG (57.4 KB, 57 views)
	IMG_0616.JPG (42.4 KB, 49 views)

These are another two that I'm unsure of the rarity:

This one is stamped Moki. The construction is really top quality in that there is zero blade wobble and the back even with the blade open and locked feels seamless. I really wish when I found it that I hadn't tossed it in my pocket with keys scuffing it up... I have never found much info about it other than a few places that sell them. They aren't cheap but they seem to have no following.



Then there is this. I was told it is/was supposed to be an official USN dive knife. If that is the case this is pretty old school. There is no stamp or marking at all on the rather heavy solid brass sheath or blade. The blade screws into the sheath. It seems like leather would make an odd choice to add to it.



And last, and yes another not rare, is another example of how far the apple does not seem to fall from the tree. The knife above is one I used to carry until I was told by my boss not to use a knife that didn't lock back. The knife below was my father's knife. I was not raised with him and I am constantly surprised at some of the most minor similarities I share with him. Dad, you might have been a bit aggressive with the sharpening. I still miss you.

Maximumbob- I can't comment on the others, but your dive knife appears to be a USN type used from the late 1800's till around 1930. Made by a lot of different mfg's (KaBar, Schrade, Desco, Morse et al) I seem to remember a Canadian mfg also, but I don't remember the name or if it was official USN. Neat piece of history.

__________________
James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I designed this about 20 years ago and had a custom knife maker whip it up for me. Very useful and practical.






Same guy made this dagger which I got as a present from a friend. Not very practical but cool.







And then there are the swords. The above mentioned knife-smith decided to make some longer blades. He made the first 25 as special edition models and numbered them 1-25. I missed out on getting one of them so I cornered him at a party after he'd had about 4 beers and talked him into stamping this one for me. He said he vowed to his customers buying the special ones to go no higher than 25 on the numbered blades but he agreed to my request since it didn't violate his promise to go no higher than 25. This one is stamped 0.

This is a picture of the very first Arkansas Toothpick (1972) made by Don Zaccagnino, Sr. (Zack Knives). The designs and work of Don and Bo Randall were among the main influences that got me involved in knifemaking. ALL of the 400+ knives that I have made are both rare and custom because I have never made any two that are exactly the same.
Mark

Nice thread and a lot of beautiful knives, but how can it be a classic knife thread without some classic Marble's Knives? So am posting some examples of the Marble's Woodcraft knife, maybe, excepting for the Marble's Ideal, the most prolific American fixed blade to date.

Marble's started production of the Woodcraft in 1914 and filed for a Patent in 1915. So from sometime in 1915 until early 1916, when the Patent was granted, the Woodcraft was stamped "Pat. Pend." Thus the Woodcraft marked "Pat. Pend." had a short life of about a year. Pictured below are examples of the 4 variations of this version.





The next version of the Woodcraft was stamped "Pat'd. 1916". This version lasted until about 1925. Pictured below are 3 variations of this version.





Another interesting version of the Woodcraft was the plastic pummel version made during and after W.W. II during the unavailability of aluminum and other materials. That version is pictured below with a mint
late 1950s to early 1960s version still sporting its original tag and "Moose and Goose" style sheath.

__________________
Rush

Forum member Newfyman has a friend named David, whose last name I forget, who made this one.

__________________
God spelled backwards is dog.

Brush-

Have any Ideals or Remington equivalents that you can post? I think the Remington is the RH-36 with six-inch blade.

Thanks,

T-Star

Oooohhh, Dowell Integrals; Boy, are they pretty. I'd be afraid to ask the price too. Is he still producing?

Hello,
New to the site and I had a question. I have a Smith & Wesson knife that says "First Production Run" on the blade and I was wondering if anyone knew if it is worth anything.

Thank you,
Jeff

Attached Images

CIMG0001.jpg (136.8 KB, 64 views)

I got nostalgic for this thread today; been thinkin bout gettin a bowie with stags...bump to the top!

__________________
Rather be outdoors

Brian Harrison, a neighbor, friend and knife maker to boot.



William C. "Bill" Johnson, of Ohio a retired Air Force NCO, he knows a thing or two about making a sub hilt fighter



Daryl Hibben of KY one heck of a good camp knife

__________________
always trust your cape...

All I need is another excuse!
My 'DANO PANTHER' and my prototype sheath. I designed and made these for Dan and Danny Owens. They paid me in knives.

Attached Images

	Panther 1.jpg (120.0 KB, 96 views)
	Panther 2.jpg (101.4 KB, 59 views)
	Panther 3.jpg (101.1 KB, 47 views)

__________________
Field Researcher. IGC

And one more.
'DANO FIGHTER and , again a prototype sheath.

Attached Images

	Fighter 1.jpg (105.2 KB, 71 views)
	Fighter 2.jpg (115.2 KB, 39 views)

__________________
Field Researcher. IGC

Hobbyist,thanks for reviving this thread! Some fantastic blades here.
f.t.

__________________
South Carolina-God's country

Had these a long time.
Dick
[IMG]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p267/vrichard_2006/000_0026.jpg[/IMG]
Top is a NEMO (Buck USA) Bottom is a 124 (Buck 124 USA)

Dick-

I think we may have discussed this photo before; can't be sure.

At the top and bottom of your display are Bucks that are either Nemos or the Model 124. I usually see the later laminated wood handles on the model 124. I think they called it the Frontiersman. I once published an article on it and its use in a Nocona boot ad, in a knife title. Buck and the ad agency were very cooperative, and I got the full story on the artist, who depicted a cowboy using a 124 to behead a rattlesnake whose head he was holding down with his Nocona boot. He painted with a propietary technique, almost photographic in detail.

Many of you saw that ad, which ran in, "Playboy" and other big slick magazines. Maybe someone here can find and post the image. ?? Don't know if copyright might be an issue, but a link should be legal.

Anyway, what model is marked on the blades? Are they the same? Are these considered Nemos or the Frontiersman version? Both of yours have the earlier phenolic resin handles. Are the edges of the tang exposed?

The Nemo was intended as a dive knife, and failed in that role because some divers said the blades rusted. I believe this was due to them not caring properly for a dive knife that has been exposed to salt water. My diver son found that unless he scrubbed the blade of his knife in fresh water (not just rinsing it under a tap) the salt residue remained and rusted blades. It is also possible that the area where the guard joins the blade was not well sealed, as if by silver soldering, as Randall does with his knives. In that case, salt water may have seeped up into the guard and rusted the tang, weakening it.

The photos that I've seen of the Nemo didn't have the handle pins. Those may have been added later, maybe or maybe not before the knife was remarketed for land use. I can't tell for sure in your photo, but don't see the pins in the top knife. ?? I've never seen a Nemo in person. Don't know if the tang edges were exposed, where they could rust after frequent exposure to salt water.

I had a Model 124 in the later laminated wood handle form. The handle was just a little thick for my hand and I sold the knife. I wonder if the Nemo phenolic handle is slightly thinner?

Anyway, I think both knives are now collectors' items, especially the Nemo dive knife. Not as many collect Buck as collect Case, but many do. I do not know the current value of the Nemo, but think it may well reach well over $200. Depends on who has it and what they know about it, of course. You might get lucky and catch a garage sale where they think it's just some old knife they no longer want.

But that raises the moral issue of whether or not to rip them off...

Oh: look at the modernistic steak knife in between the Model 102 and the Caper, on the right. I'm almost sure that I saw that knife in a thriller movie starring Morgan Fairchild (who my mother taught in high school) being stalked by a mad fan of her role as a TV anchor. It was called, "The Seduction." I met her in a restaurant a few years ago, and she couldn't recall the movie. Pity. It made the point very clearly that good people have to be armed, as the police cannot protect. She blew the bad guy away with an Ithaca M-37 shotgun. I reviewed the movie, and the studio PR girl found a good slide of her with the Ithaca, which I used in the article. If you can't place Morgan Fairchild, she used to star on TV series like, "Falcon Crest" and, "Flamingo Road", but made a number of movies, usually not blockbusters, but sound. Mother said that she was an exceptional student in her Honors English 11th grade class. I found her to be bright and articulate in person, and she shares my interest in paleontology, perhaps almost unique among actresses. But she had no idea which knives were in her kitchen in that, "Seduction" movie.

However, the movie is good, and worth looking for.

I don't have too many knifes, just a few that interested me.
Heres my "Cobra" movie knife.

The "Rambo" knife.

"The Enforcer" or Special Forces knife.

And the knifes seen in many movies, the Switchblade and Butterfly knifes.





Ernie

__________________
S&W .500 Magnums RULE !

Sir, I believe you have a fixed blade(second from top on left) that may have been made by the same maker of my "mystery" folder. They have similarities in bolster, shape of blade and handle.
Do you know the maker? My father was given the lockblade folder in the 60's and passed on in early 70's.

Thanks much, Jim

__________________
Halfway and one more step

I can't see a lot of detail in the photo, but it looks like either a Browning or a Gil Hibben custom. Good reason they look alike, he designed Brownings line of early knives. My impression they still used them into the 1970s. My Browning B78 BiCentennial included a Hibben in the set.

__________________
Dick Burg

I think it's the Browning folder designed by Hibben.

I would contact Gil Hibben and ask. He had shoulder surgery recently, but I'm sure they can solve that mystery.

Hibben Knives
P.O. Box 13
LaGrange, Kentucky 40031

Phone (502) 222-1397

Email: [email protected]

__________________
Jorge

This is a custom knife made by my friend Steve Tedford. He is a master knife maker and it has become my favorite hunting knife.
The handle is big horn sheep antler and the blade is razor sharp.
Great for all jobs when cleaning a big game animal.

Dick, thank you for your service!

Lots of nice blades here!

__________________
Rather be outdoors

Just picked up a Spartan, "Horkos" model. Waiting for it to be delivered!
Please continue to share your favorites--

Respectfully,

TH

__________________
Rather be outdoors

Not sure how rare or valuable...but maybe "unusual" would apply. I bought these in the late 90s. E bay seems to be selling them for around $150.00. Not very strong or sharp, from what I've heard. The liner lock doesn't seem very secure.

Attached Images

	end.JPG (140.5 KB, 52 views)
	benchmade.JPG (244.3 KB, 51 views)

__________________
NRA Life Member