Keen Kutter pocket knives were made over a long period of time beginning about 1870.  E.C. Simmons was born in 1839 and entered the wholesale hardware business as a teenager.  Eventually, the E.C. Simmons & Co. would occupy 1.5 million square feet by 1900.  The early pocket knives manufactured during this early period were made in New York in the largest pocket knife plant in the United States.  Pocket knives marked E.C. Simmons with the patented keystone trademark were made until 1940 when they were purchased by Shapleigh Hardware.  Keen Kutter pocket knives and other tools are highly sought after by collectors today.  Check out Shapleigh Hardware knives and other old pocket knives on my site.