Mystery & Cool vintage pocket knives – Vol.1

People send me pictures of knives quite often, wanting to know more about them.  Some have been passed down from a loved one and others are vintage knife collectors looking for more information.  Most of the time I can give some backstory to the knives.  However, there are times when I can only provide a bit of information while others stump me completely.  Sometimes, the knives are just too cool not to share with you!  Take a look and feel free to leave comments if you have additional info!  The owners of these knives would appreciate it!  – Jesse

1. A gentlemen recently shared a smooth bone handled barlow that was given to him by his late father.  Brass pins affix the bone slabs and the stamped bolsters are made of steel. It simply has Simmons stamped on the bolster and Simmons on the tang in a very interesting, electrified font.  Since Keen Kutter knives have been around since the 1870s, this does not predate EC Simmons’ Keen Kutter brand.  Instead, I am assuming that this was a separate line of knives that EC Simmons put out that did not feature Keen Kutter.  What say you?

2. Another visitor to the website sent a picture of a Carl Schlieper Eye Brand knife.  This copperhead clasp knife features beautiful genuine stag handles and three blades; a clip blade, a hook and a sharp blade with a blunt knob on the end.  I am not sure what the hooked blade and the blunt end blade are used for.  I have seen button hook knives on tiny pen knives but this knife seems far too large for dainty sewing purposes.  This specialty knife looks like it would have been used for hunting, now sewing.  Have you seen these blades before?  What is their function?

UPDATE:  some helpful folks let me know that this is a bird knife.  The hook is for disemboweling a bird.  I am still not 100% sure what the sharp blade with the blunt tip is for.

3.  Another gentlemen shared this super cool knife handed down to him from his father.  The tang is stamped, D. Peres Solingen Germany and the .  This company made many souvenir knives in the early part of the 1900’s.  This knife is certainly a genuine antique, well over 100 years old and was most likely handed out as a Christmas gift /  advertisement by the Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in 1912.  What truly makes this knife unique is the bubble level, still functional, present on the underside of the knife.  There also appears to be a small ruler on the bottom as well.  Have you ever seen another one of these?

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