Found a little treasure trove of pocket knives

[ameridaddy]

We've had cool, drizzly, gray weather here for several days now, so being bored and lazy, I pulled out some boxes of family memorabilia stuff and rooted around for maybe something I overlooked, or something I hadn't seen for decades. I came to one old cardboard box I remember rescuing from my grandmother's house when they moved to senior living around 1980.
Amongst all the odds and ends in it, there was a small package wrapped in a 1939 newspaper that I thought was an old, small Bible, of which I have maybe 6 or 8 from my ancestors, but to my surprise and puzzlement, it was not a Bible but a decrepit box, and in that box were 5 pocket knives. I have to wonder - did they belong to my uncles who were born in the 1920's, my grandfather, great grandfather or great great uncle who died in 1936, 1936 or 1944 respectively?
One is a Cattaraugus, and I read they stopped making pocket knives and converted to military knives at the outset of WWII, so it's old enough to be a relic from my older ancestors, but the others, especially the Sears Craftsman one, could be newer.
In any case, they are in very good condition, well used and carried for sure, but not abused, and only one of them needed sharpening, and now I have some new (to me) neat stuff.
Nothing like a little serendipity to brighten a dreary day!

 

[Kitgun]

Now thats a find....keep looking!

 

[glenwolde]

The commercially manufactured Bucks are post 1964, as that's when the company was founded.

Given the black Dupont Delrin scales I figure those are 1970's at the earliest. But I'm not a knife expert. A knife forum could tell you more.

 

[StrawHat]

The Cattaraugus is a Barlow pattern knife. The bag shaped end and large bolster are typical. I like Barlow and have a few. Mark Twain wrote about Barlows.

A good place for information,

All About Pocket Knives - Knife Forum

Kevin

 

[SweetMK]

The commercially manufactured Bucks are post 1964, as that's when the company was founded.

Given the black Dupont Delrin scales I figure those are 1970's at the earliest. But I'm not a knife expert. A knife forum could tell you more.

There MUST be another source of a BUCK pocket knife,,
My mother gave each of us four children a pocket knife that dad had carried,,
three of the knives were "BUCK", and they were all "WORN",,

Dad died in 1962,,,,,,,,,,,,


I just Googlled,, WIKI says BUCK started in 1902,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[mrchick]

Buck history here.

https://www.buckknives.com/about/company/history/

 

[sceva]

Buck may have started in 1902 but they did not introduce pocket knives until the early 1960's. Started with the 110 folding hunter followed quickly by the delrin handled pocket knives. Early one up to the late 1970's early 1980's were made for Buck by Camillus

 

[Krogen]

A time capsule for sure. There's something about ancestors' tools that fascinates me. I see the scuffs of day-to-day use which make me wonder who used them and what kind of person they were. Like old, worn guns.

I have Grandpa's favorite hatchet and his Iver Johnson break top. The hatchet has wedges and screws to tighten it up. It's sharp as a razor. The revolver has some of it's original nickel and it's loose as a goose. They both make me think of Grandpa working around the ranch in NE Montana. This kind of stuff sets my mind to fluttering!

 

[max503]

Nice find. I've field dressed deer with a knife like that little one.

 

[30-30remchester]

Been collecting antique knives for 5 decades now. That Case tested in from the 1920's to 1940. Nice folder. The Cattaraugus is neat as well. I wish I had them in my collection.

 

[Bald1]

Cattaraugus Cutlery was founded by the Case brothers. It was in Cattaraugus County in New Yorks southern tier. Just above the Pennsylvania line. Case and Zippo lighters are now right across the Pennsylvania line in Bradford PA. There’s a long tradition of companies leaving NY lol.

 

[Papa Lee]

Case Tested Knife

That Case knife dates to the 1920-1940 period.

 

[CA Escapee]

The commercially manufactured Bucks are post 1964, as that's when the company was founded.

Given the black Dupont Delrin scales I figure those are 1970's at the earliest. But I'm not a knife expert. A knife forum could tell you more.

In later years Buck started marking the blades with odd looking hieroglyphics. Here's a page from their website where you can decode those symbols. https://www.buckknives.com/about/behind-the-blade/how-old-is-my-knife/

Here's a page from the Case Collector's Club that shows tang stamps to narrow down the year. Tang Stamps – Case Collectors Club(R)

 

[ajgunner]

I have the same Buck 305 in my pocket now and every day for at least 20+ years. Can't even venture to guess how many times it has been through TSA in the little bowl with my pocket change.

 

[ameridaddy]

I have the same Buck 305 in my pocket now and every day for at least 20+ years. Can't even venture to guess how many times it has been through TSA in the little bowl with my pocket change.

I'm surprised some TSA drone didn't confiscate it, which would be a shame. I had a deputy sheriff give me holy he-double hockey sticks for having a 1.25" bladed mini Swiss Army knife in my change at a courthouse metal detector. I would have left it in my car had I known the building was a courthouse, but he threatened to arrest me, said he'd like to take the knife and cut me to prove how deadly it was, all red in the face, yelling, cords standing out on his neck.
I just said sorry, I didn't know this was a courthouse, took my stuff, turned around and left.

 

[pawngal]

I have the same Buck 305 in my pocket now and every day for at least 20+ years. Can't even venture to guess how many times it has been through TSA in the little bowl with my pocket change.

A knife thru TSA? Heck they seized my favorite nail clippers cuz they had a little knife blade about 1 inch long.

 

[chief38]

Great find!! Although I do carry a modern Spyderco most days, my love for traditional folding pocket knives will never fade or be replaced. The only reason I carry the Spyderco is it was a gift from my Daughter and her BF. It’s an outstanding knife with great K390 steel and can be used to shave with, but doesn’t give me the warm fuzzy feeling of a genuine Stag scaled traditional pocket knife.