- Joined
- Aug 9, 2000
- Messages
- 374
Did you ever see a Randall that was just too shiny. Well several years ago this happened to me when I purchased a Bowie knife in Eureka, California. I thought at first someone had highly polished the blade. But upon closer inspection I saw the blade was chrome plated.
I asked Gary Randall if they ever chrome plated knives for customers. Yes, they did, and quite a few of them. He remembers that every week or two they would take one or two knives to the plater. The name of the plating Company is lost to history.
He remembers that most of the knives were big, Model 12's and 13's. The buyers were more interested in preventing them from rusting when displayed, than using the knives.
I also talked to shop manager Pete Hamilton and he remembers that quite a few Randalls were chrome plated. Besides the big knives a few Model 1's and 3's were also plated through the years. He also commented that chrome plating was offered in the Randall catalog until about 1970.
Well, that got me to looking at my old Randall catalogs to see exactly when this option was offered. The first place I find it mentioned is in the 1954 catalog issue. This catalog was the first to appear in the form (shape 4" X 9") that we are familiar with today (shown here). It had no number, as to establish the printing, and the price was 20 cents. I have a beautiful copy of this catalog, a personal gift from Bob Gaddis.
On page 13 of this catalog we find: CHROME PLATED BLADE: any model. Recommended for exhibit purposes only. Models 12 and 13..$7.00; All other
Models..$5.00.
This catalog was used through 1958 and then in 1959 the first catalog showing the printing, the twelfth, was issued by Randall. The chrome plating price has increased to $7.50 and $5.50. Also of particular interest is the delivery time for your Randall knife orders, 4 to 6 weeks.
The last reference to chrome plating appears in the nineteenth printing of the Randall catalog issued in 1969. Pete was right, as usual. The price for chrome plating has increased to $15.00 and $10.00. As to delivery, this catalog dated Aug 20, 1969 schedules your delivery for September 1971, 25 months. Wow! The price of this catalog was 25 cents.
This delivery time had my curiosity up so when I checked the twentieth printing and found no reference to chrome plating I still checked the delivery date. Date issued Sep 17, 1970, delivery date January 1973.
So where are all of these chrome plated Randalls? My guess would be that since most of them were chrome plated for display purposes they are still hanging in offices and dens throughout the world. To date, after seven years of avidly, or is it rabidly, looking for older Randalls I have seen only two chrome plated Randalls. A Model 3-6" and the ivory Model 12-11" Smithsonian you see here. By the way, Randall does not offer chrome plating today.
Best regards,
Rhett Stidham
I asked Gary Randall if they ever chrome plated knives for customers. Yes, they did, and quite a few of them. He remembers that every week or two they would take one or two knives to the plater. The name of the plating Company is lost to history.
He remembers that most of the knives were big, Model 12's and 13's. The buyers were more interested in preventing them from rusting when displayed, than using the knives.
I also talked to shop manager Pete Hamilton and he remembers that quite a few Randalls were chrome plated. Besides the big knives a few Model 1's and 3's were also plated through the years. He also commented that chrome plating was offered in the Randall catalog until about 1970.
Well, that got me to looking at my old Randall catalogs to see exactly when this option was offered. The first place I find it mentioned is in the 1954 catalog issue. This catalog was the first to appear in the form (shape 4" X 9") that we are familiar with today (shown here). It had no number, as to establish the printing, and the price was 20 cents. I have a beautiful copy of this catalog, a personal gift from Bob Gaddis.
On page 13 of this catalog we find: CHROME PLATED BLADE: any model. Recommended for exhibit purposes only. Models 12 and 13..$7.00; All other
Models..$5.00.
This catalog was used through 1958 and then in 1959 the first catalog showing the printing, the twelfth, was issued by Randall. The chrome plating price has increased to $7.50 and $5.50. Also of particular interest is the delivery time for your Randall knife orders, 4 to 6 weeks.
The last reference to chrome plating appears in the nineteenth printing of the Randall catalog issued in 1969. Pete was right, as usual. The price for chrome plating has increased to $15.00 and $10.00. As to delivery, this catalog dated Aug 20, 1969 schedules your delivery for September 1971, 25 months. Wow! The price of this catalog was 25 cents.
This delivery time had my curiosity up so when I checked the twentieth printing and found no reference to chrome plating I still checked the delivery date. Date issued Sep 17, 1970, delivery date January 1973.
So where are all of these chrome plated Randalls? My guess would be that since most of them were chrome plated for display purposes they are still hanging in offices and dens throughout the world. To date, after seven years of avidly, or is it rabidly, looking for older Randalls I have seen only two chrome plated Randalls. A Model 3-6" and the ivory Model 12-11" Smithsonian you see here. By the way, Randall does not offer chrome plating today.
Best regards,
Rhett Stidham