Whenever I check eBay I look for interesting lots of old pocket knives that are put up for sale. Often times there is a hidden gem or two hidden among the knives.
That was the case recently when I purchased a lot of 20 knives from eBay for $40 which included shipping and tax. The blades were unopened in the three pictures so I decided to purchase them without contacting the buyer for more pictures. If I stalled, the knives could surely be purchased by someone else and the $40 investment didn’t seem too bad.
In that group of knives I spied an interesting, early looking knife. It appeared to have horn handles and the characteristic shape of a Congress knife (bent handle). These knives are typically very old (pre 1900) and they are some of my favorite knives to collect.
Here is a screenshot of the listing that captured my attention:
The following is the full video of me unboxing this small collection. Enjoy the video…
There were 20 knives total in the lot. There were some interesting knives besides the mystery Congress knife. One interesting knife was this JA Henckels budding and grafting knife:
Shop for J.A. Henckels knives on my website.
I ended up selling this knife for $35 on eBay. Here is the description:
Very nice JA Henckels budding and grafting knife with ivory celluloid handles. This knife measures 4 inches closed. Blades have very strong snap. Very tip of sheep foot blade is chipped, but spey blade is complete. Pattern number 727 is stamped on the back of blade.
Another interesting knife was an Imperial Boy Scout Knife from 1946 – 1952.
Shop for Scout Knives on my website.
This knife sold for $25.00 on eBay. Here is the listing for that knife:
This is an Imperial Prov RI boy scout knife with the federal style “Be Prepared” shield. The blades have scratches and staining but have decent snap. Nice old knife!
On to the main event, once I got to the congress knife I noticed that all the blades were intact. No broken blades. I was able to open one of the blades but I could not read the tang stamp. It was a congress whittler and it was super old. I took the knife down stairs to clean it up.
As you can see in the video, I used some fine steel wool and some oil to remove some rust. Once I was able to read the tang, I saw all three blades were marked Maher & Grosh. An early stamp.
The knife is a Congress whittler pattern and did not have horn handles but ebony wood instead. The main blade is a sheep food blade with a long pull. There is also a manicure blade and a pen blade on the opposite end. I was happy that the knife was complete and in decent shape!
I had paid for the entire lot with the sale of the Imperial and Henckels knives alone. In addition, a gentleman contacted me about the WWII commemorative lockback knife and I sold that one as well.
Thanks for checking out the knives in this lot! The video I posted is one of the most viewed videos that I have made so far. As of February of 2025, it has received over 90,000 views! This YouTube experience has been a trip so far. I appreciate all of the viewers out there.
It’s always fun to see what kind of old knives are on eBay. See the link below to find your own treasures…
Shop Vintage Knives on eBay