Camillus was so successful a knife brand that other knifemakers contracted them to manufacture their blades. You could simply want to know if several Kinfolks knives in your possession are originals before you list them for sale too. While none are stamped Marbles, the knife remains in wide use even today. Steve Pfeiffer, author of Collecting Case Knives: Identification and Price Guide published by Krause Publications. Certainly the Camillus and the Westerns are just finished bright, I've never seen any examples that were plated, (only referring to the 5in knives here). If you are vastly interested in the story of how three cousins came together to found a knife company that we still know today, check the book out on Amazon today. Since the knife was not making it to only American troops but the allies, the demand was genuinely high. Today, they have become a favorite of collectors, so much that we are interested in dating them to know whether we have the real deal or a fake. Of course, the safety razor was soon to make the old cut-throats obsolete, and the Marbles fuller became more of a trademark than a design feature. Copyright 1995-2023 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. The sheath has been stamped U S N but again I don't know by who or when. You just think these companies would be in cities. If you happen to have, Read More How to Date A Case Kodiak Knife by Yourself (Expert Advice)Continue, Do you have a knife that you want to have sold? The sheath looks like the one you show from Camillus. They, along with many other companies, also suffered when men in the company joined the war effort by enlisting even when they were deferred with required jobs at a cutlery as a specialized skill. THX SKIP. This guide to dating Camillus knives is focused on the Camillus-stamped knives only. Awarded many contracts during the period from 1939 to 1945, Kinfolks produced a significant number of knives in several different patterns which helped our men in the field and in the air with a quality tool when needed. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. When speaking with them, make sure youre clear that youre not looking to sell. Around 1915, Marble made what some consider his greatest contribution to outdoor cutlery, the Woodcraft sheath knife. Some extremely valid points! I know my knives - maybe not as well as my mother - but enough to write helpful guides for you. I know that Case was plating some of their knives as early as the 1930's and marketing them as corrosion resistant. Total Production: 2,469,956. I have a 1970 Ontario marked JPSK I got from a reconnaissance pilot I was stationed with in Texas in 1976. Kinfolks Knives offers an accurate and factual history of Kinfolks Cutlery. Find out more below. He felt the proper grip when field dressing was to choke up on the handle with the base of the blade between your fingers. The Western procured knife by the USAAF was only known to have the brown bakelight guard and pommel but there are two variations in the sheath with a low and high throat retaining strap. Be prepared to take clear pictures of the knife, but never send the knife to anyone to have it dated for you. The brand started using tang stamps early enough, making it easy to tell the age of a Camillus knife. by JohnR Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:09 pm, Post The Expert is a great all-around outdoor knife, but the handle on the Sports Knife is just too short. Try these methods to determine whether your Kinfolks knife is an original, or to know when it was made: One of the most comprehensive dating instructions for Kinfolks knives has been put together by Dean Elliot Case. This is so ridiculous, it's laughableyet, assinine. US MILITARIA FORUM - COLLECTORS PRESERVING HISTORY Ending Saturday at 5:06PM PST 3d 20h. Included are four vintage catalogs to aid collectors in the identification and dating of Kinfolks knives, as well as biographies of Kinfolks founders: Russ Case, Tint Champlin, and Dean Case. Before WWII, the Woodcraft saw the most attention from competitors. The knife is 14 5/8" in overall length, with the instantly recognizable 9 " clip point Bowie blade. One strange side note to its history is that it was once the official sheath knife of the American Boy Scouts, from 1933 to 1940. Marble's hunting knife. Some shady knife enthusiasts might want to get the knife from you at a steal price or in a swap deal for something else. Does the one you mention have the colored spacers at each end of the grip like the ones you illustrate? Marbles actually made very few knives during the war as they were given contracts for other needed equipment. by johnburrell Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:49 am, Post Others give only a very vague date when the original Kinfolks company was making its knives and nothing more. Do you think your Camillus is older than your friends, but neither is sure? Procure a maior eBookstore do mundo e comece a ler hoje na web, no tablet, no telefone ou eReader. There is also no proof that Case made any fixed blades before 1923, and by 1926 and up to 1932-33 all their fixed blades were made by Kinfolks. ${cardName} not available for the seller you chose. Kinfolks Knives offers an accurate and factual history of Kinfolks Cutlery. Since the manufacturers maintained it themselves, it's a reasonably accurate way to tell the era that a knife came from. However, when I went on to see what prices were being asked for Kinfolks in this condition, I saw the prices in the $125 range (over twice what I paid). While this may sound fairly conventional, no one else was making a similar hunting knife at the time. Still,, Read More How to Date Klein Knives to A Specific Year or Era (5 Methods)Continue, Of all the knives that I have ever tried to date, the Kinfolks remain one of the most beautiful. Also, for the first time, the personal memories of multiple branches of this . Kinfolks Knives offers an accurate and factual history of Kinfolks Cutlery. In any case, the knife continued in the line until 1960 when the handle was lengthened, and the model renamed the Campcraft.. Likewise, everyone simply assumes that these knives only come from between the 1920s 1930s era, which is not the case. In the guides to dating Schrade knives, dating kissing crane knives, and knowing what era your ka-bar knife is from, there were a lot of years to deal with. To see this page as it is meant to appear, please enable your Javascript! of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism. The two with fullers or blood grooves are the known AAF procured types. After more than two decades (1897) in this business, importation costs for the knives were getting higher and wiping out Adolphs profits. Certainly Western didn't have facilities to make sheaths in factory before the 50's. Most period cutlery companies also produced close copies of the Ideal for use as survival knives in the various branches of the armed forces. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, [{"displayPrice":"$24.06","priceAmount":24.06,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"24","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"06","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"%2BQyZ7lxqPrKytmlgbPMUyI1zR9P%2FwI2wzZMEcSH%2FSdjv%2FKwN3AnQ%2FmFqQCKgS1lHxRqZVXeMDodNS9MrsTriWgMqK%2FYEXCrMgipm8K5uGvOE%2BB7SyNmsDR6SFlK0hlLI7JOAj6S6f1KPtBiUbtNavoP6JXZ2C5krQ5lvV%2F3lIlS4sT7Lwzs8cA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]. Included are four vintage catalogs to aid collectors in the identification and dating of Kinfolks knives, as well as biographies of Kinfolks founders: Russ Case, Tint Champlin, and Dean Case. Included are four vintage catalogs to aid collectors in the identification and dating of Kinfolks knives, as well as biographies of Kinfolks founders: Russ Case, Tint Champlin, and Dean Case. Included are four vintage catalogs to aid collectors in the identification and dating of Kinfolks knives, as well as biographies of Kinfolks founders: Russ Case, Tint Champlin, and Dean Case. After looking at the lead filler on the pommels of yours it is even tough to say that they could make those variations. Maybe it was the Woodcraft name that sold them. The crossguard consists of two equal length arms that extend to the left and right and are terminated with circular ends. The book does not just contain biographies of the companies founders but also comes with up to four catalogs to aid your dating. Like every other knife Ive dated, the Camillus knives are challenging in their way. I remember when I got the middle knife, him commenting that it looked just like the knives they had in the ETO except for the finish. My guesstimate would be about 1925 (IIRC the founding year for Kinfolks, but I could be wrong) up to WWII. or Best Offer. these are the typical sheaths for the knives in post #1. This does not impact the price of the item youre buying and it supports me to keep creating the content that you love. Included are four vintage catalogs to aid collectors in the identification and dating of Kinfolks knives, as well as biographies of Kinfolks founders: Russ Case, Tint Champlin, and Dean Case. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives - spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. March 26, 2014 in EDGED WEAPONS. For this topic I thought I would zero in on the 5" hunting knives that are known to have been procured by the USAAF. A beautiful little village in a largely agricultural area. From then until 1965, Robeson produced Kinfolks brand knives in addition to its regular line, using many of the same features and handle material. Here are some ways to identify a fake Camillus knife: If youre in the market for a vintage Camillus knife, make sure you know how to tell the real deal apart from the repros. I am immediately ordering even more books to pass on. This is one of the 6-inch knives that the US Army purchased in 1942, before they went to the M3. H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. Of all the knives that I have ever tried to date, the Kinfolks remain one of the most beautiful. by Miller Bro's Sun Dec 25, 2016 8:07 pm, Post Otherwise, have someone who does. Sactroop, I saw yours in a previous post and it does indeed have the unique sheath supplied with Camillus AAC knives. The top two you have are right as rain for war time production AAF knives. However, that should not deter you from knowing when your knife was probably made. Fortunately for us, Camillus changed their stamps enough to map each one to different periods. Next is the Camillus family. LARGE STOCKMAN - JADE BONE KINFOLK JIG. This is the Kinfolks family. Marbles pattern sheath knives ruled the market for decades, but the introduction of the Buck 110 lockback design in 1965 was a turning point. For the time that they spent here, though, they came up with some pretty great knives that collectors are after today. By My father-in-laws Case knife he brought back from the ETO. Kinfolks Inc. and World War II by Frank Trzaska. At a time like this, when not all dealers can be trusted, you need to be on guard. Camillus knives are one of my most favorites knives to date. Instead, it was supposed to be reserved for professional hunters, trappers, and guides with the experience to use a light, sharp blade in the field. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I have noticed over the past two or so years that the prices of decent WW2 knives on ebay have more than doubled what I was paying back in 2016 and earlier. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. During WW2 I believe Kinfolks was in Little Valley in Western NY. The sheath also offered a stone pouch and extra holes for tying it down to a flight uniform. Do you think that the Government would have specifically requested the chrome plating, or that the manufactures supplied them from their existing stock to fill orders? KNIFE Magazine July 2021 issue Sneak Peek, Weekend Open Thread: Stupid is as Stupid Does Edition. This was a straight-backed, sheath knife with a slight . I have covered some of them here for you: Those guides expose you to some insider tips and strategies to get the exact date of these knives, narrow down their era or simply confirm if you have the original thing.