Let's see your Scout/Camp knives

Thanks, Kevin!! It took me a number of years to find that nice one. I vehave owned three others in between, which had worn blades, cracked pearl, etc. etc.
Not too many Pearl Scouts around!!
You are right... I've been actively looking for a nice one for going on 6 months now ;)
 
Oh Charlie - Awesome - that HJ is to die for!
Those Scouts are simply Gorgeous! So looking at the Punches- again its a strong pull toward Empire Manufacture?
Heres my Challenge, and Charlie I know what you mean- the Bone- whew!!! The Challenge Scout could sit among New York Scouts and it would blend in so nicely- I find that the Challenge Scouts- their beautiful Handles are very round Convex-wise.
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What I love about this Challenge is the Dynamic Deep Blade Etch, and also a bit of provenance - the Top bolster is beautifully engraved with name and address- and obviously very old - that engraving was an art in those days..
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Beautiful scout knife, Duncan!

Is that an Alvord punch? Maybe waynorth waynorth can weigh in on that. If so, that strengthens the Empire ties.
 
Thank you Lambertiana, it is a Empire Punch - I am very sure - if you think back to the Challenge discussion that was held in "Old Knives" a while ago with the punches compared between Challenge and Empire...
The Townsley HJ Punch shown here was Patented by Seymour Alvord ( Pat 833146), so it has obvious roots to Empire,

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Another of my HJ'S - a Challenge sporting the same Alvord Punch..
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Aplogies for flooding a scout Thread with HJ's folks, I just finished documenting and Photographing my HJ's , and about to start on the Scouts- mainly because of the Punches...
So with finishing the answer to Lamertiana's question - unfortunately I don't have any good photo's of the Challenge Scout face of the Punch- but it is the exact as this Challenge HJ Punch - which is an Empire Punch ( note the two different styles of Punches used by Empire ).... and is exactly the same on a Smaller Empire Girls Scout that I have...

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So I scored on some cool scouts this week... first one up is very cool :thumbsup: We are familiar with the Ulster "Prince Albert" Old Timer 114OT scouts, well I spotted this Schrade Walden 914 that is pretty much the same knife and possibly the precursor to the Ulster 114OT? The SW 914 was only made from 1965 to 1969 and the Ulster 114OT was ordered by RJ Reynolds Co in 1968. The SW Cut USA stamp is odd on this one too... I thought that stamp was typically used on SFO's and special / commemorative edition knives. Since the Old Timer name was original to Schrade Walden, perhaps they intended this model to be the Prince Albert brand but I know RJ Reynolds insisted on the Ulster name. Overall, it is in great shape and was quite an interesting find, especially when the seller had the original receipt from 1966 for a cost of $5.32 which was under the MSRP at the time :D

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Second up is a Kane Kutlery (Solingen) knife from the early 70's... Kane was a C Bertram brand who was famous for the Hen & Rooster knives. This one is a tank and is definitely going to be in the rotation when I spend time in the woods :):thumbsup: I forgot to open the punch so that's why the last pic has a different look than the others LoL.

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Wow!!! I don’t know what happened, but I totally lost track of this thread. So many brilliant knives posted!!!

Lastly is one of the Camillus Navy MD scouts... a classic :thumbsup: Who knows what this knife has been through and the bone is still mesmerizing :)

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That’s a gorgeous Camillus. Really interesting bone on that one, awesome shield, and a full blade to boot. That’s a tough combination to track down.
 
Here’s a Camillus-manufactured Sta-Sharp for Sears. It’s in especially nice condition. All blades snap perfectly. Not a bit of wobble. No big spring gaps. Blades are pretty well flush with the springs in both the open and closed positions.

The chrome is still on the main blade, leaving it looking quite shiny and stain free in comparison to the three other tools that are covered in patina. It even still has the blade etch, containing CRAFTSMAN STA-SHARP 9548 CHROME PLATED. I don’t think the blade has ever been sharpened.

The very attractive bone covers have a strong reddish hue, with green at the edges. The SCOUT shield is in perfect condition. The main blade has the usual HIGH CARBON STEEL U.S.A. stamp that was used for Sears. The wonderful spiral punch has the super-cool SPIRAL PUNCH tang stamp. I even get a long screwdriver in this knife. A removable bail, domed pins, and ringed bolsters round out the design.

Because of the steel liners, I’m assuming that this knife was made during WW2. But while the WW2 army engineer knives maybe used an Imperial patented can opener, allowable because of the war effort, this knife made for Sears may have used an slightly older style can opener design, possibly not to infringe on Imperial’s patent.

All in all, this is a really nice knife, and another glorious piece of scout heritage based on the venerable Camillus 14/4 knife pattern. I swear that I could give up collecting all other scout knives, and focus entirely on the Camillus 14/4 pattern, and still keep on finding minor design changes and various contract models for the next 100 years.

PxTnQf3h.jpg

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Here’s a Camillus-manufactured Sta-Sharp for Sears. It’s in especially nice condition. All blades snap perfectly. Not a bit of wobble. No big spring gaps. Blades are pretty well flush with the springs in both the open and closed positions.

The chrome is still on the main blade, leaving it looking quite shiny and stain free in comparison to the three other tools that are covered in patina. It even still has the blade etch, containing CRAFTSMAN STA-SHARP 9548 CHROME PLATED. I don’t think the blade has ever been sharpened.

The very attractive bone covers have a strong reddish hue, with green at the edges. The SCOUT shield is in perfect condition. The main blade has the usual HIGH CARBON STEEL U.S.A. stamp that was used for Sears. The wonderful spiral punch has the super-cool SPIRAL PUNCH tang stamp. I even get a long screwdriver in this knife. A removable bail, domed pins, and ringed bolsters round out the design.

Because of the steel liners, I’m assuming that this knife was made during WW2. But while the WW2 army engineer knives maybe used an Imperial patented can opener, allowable because of the war effort, this knife made for Sears may have used an slightly older style can opener design, possibly not to infringe on Imperial’s patent.

All in all, this is a really nice knife, and another glorious piece of scout heritage based on the venerable Camillus 14/4 knife pattern. I swear that I could give up collecting all other scout knives, and focus entirely on the Camillus 14/4 pattern, and still keep on finding minor design changes and various contract models for the next 100 years.

PxTnQf3h.jpg

v8U128sh.jpg

hsbCOe0h.jpg

C6zxyQth.jpg

tyij0wAh.jpg

I give this my stamp of approval!
 
Here’s a Camillus-manufactured Sta-Sharp for Sears. It’s in especially nice condition. All blades snap perfectly. Not a bit of wobble. No big spring gaps. Blades are pretty well flush with the springs in both the open and closed positions.

The chrome is still on the main blade, leaving it looking quite shiny and stain free in comparison to the three other tools that are covered in patina. It even still has the blade etch, containing CRAFTSMAN STA-SHARP 9548 CHROME PLATED. I don’t think the blade has ever been sharpened.

The very attractive bone covers have a strong reddish hue, with green at the edges. The SCOUT shield is in perfect condition. The main blade has the usual HIGH CARBON STEEL U.S.A. stamp that was used for Sears. The wonderful spiral punch has the super-cool SPIRAL PUNCH tang stamp. I even get a long screwdriver in this knife. A removable bail, domed pins, and ringed bolsters round out the design.

Because of the steel liners, I’m assuming that this knife was made during WW2. But while the WW2 army engineer knives maybe used an Imperial patented can opener, allowable because of the war effort, this knife made for Sears may have used an slightly older style can opener design, possibly not to infringe on Imperial’s patent.

All in all, this is a really nice knife, and another glorious piece of scout heritage based on the venerable Camillus 14/4 knife pattern. I swear that I could give up collecting all other scout knives, and focus entirely on the Camillus 14/4 pattern, and still keep on finding minor design changes and various contract models for the next 100 years.

PxTnQf3h.jpg

v8U128sh.jpg

hsbCOe0h.jpg

C6zxyQth.jpg

tyij0wAh.jpg
Buzz, I’d like to send you something for free....a GPS tracker to put on your car so I can figure out where you’re finding such nice old knives!!
 
Here's a totally oddball Camillus. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. By the bone covers and the blank shield, you'd swear it was a Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) knife, but the rest of the knife shows something entirely different. The main blade has a 3-line tang stamp with a short horizontal line, that roughly translates to 1946 to 1950 vintage, and is stamped 99 on the back. So at least the main blade seems to be from a very early Camillus 99 Camper, that I thought had only ever been produced with synthetic covers. The liners are brass denote either early WW2 production, or are from later in the war and afterward. The improved 2-piece can opener looks late war or after WW2. The long screwdriver, as far as I know, was only used later in the war and afterward. The brass liners and tool compliment perfectly match both the Camillus 99 from the 1946 catalog, the post-war "Army General Purpose Knife" sold from the catalog, and the late war Quartermaster knives, even down to the new longer shackle. But none of those knives used bone covers, and only the 99 actually had a shield.

To complicate matters, it doesn't seem like a parts knife. All of the blades are flush to the springs. The walk and talk on all of the tools is downright perfect. The only flaw is that the awl is missing just the very tip, and has been nicely reshaped to a new point. The knife was crazy dirty when I received it, and took a ton of cleaning to get things working properly again. So if it is a parts knife, it's been that way for a long, long time. The covers have no cracks or chips, and could not have come from an engineer knife, as they do not have the cutout for the old style can opener.

I'm guessing that maybe this is some sort of original run Camillus 99, introduced before the war ended, and before the 1946 catalog, and it just happens to be in very lightly used condition, as the main blade is almost completely full.

Whatever it is, I'm ecstatic. It's a wonderful knife. The Rogers bone covers are worn down to that state where you still get nice darkly dyed recesses, yet a light smooth surface. Between the shield and the very shiny bone, the knife just glows in the light. The mark side and pile side covers even match well.

From a functional perspective, this knife has improved upon the basic Army Engineer Knife. The tip of the longer screwdriver is perfectly in line with the center line of the knife. The can opener is far less prone to breakage than the older war style opener. The spear blade and awl remain unchanged.

I bought this knife as a user to keep in my outdoor pack, because I was sure that it was a parts knife. But suddenly I'm not so sure, to the point that I'm kind of afraid to use it. It could very well be the earliest and completely undocumented form of the Camillus 99 Camper, and the only one I've ever seen in existence. It's pretty much the holy grail of knives for a Camillus scout collector such as me. Best of all, I got it for less than $35.00 on auction, as it was described as having Delrin covers.

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4iOlR7Sh.jpg
 
Here's a totally oddball Camillus. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. By the bone covers and the blank shield, you'd swear it was a Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) knife, but the rest of the knife shows something entirely different. The main blade has a 3-line tang stamp with a short horizontal line, that roughly translates to 1946 to 1950 vintage, and is stamped 99 on the back. So at least the main blade seems to be from a very early Camillus 99 Camper, that I thought had only ever been produced with synthetic covers. The liners are brass denote either early WW2 production, or are from later in the war and afterward. The improved 2-piece can opener looks late war or after WW2. The long screwdriver, as far as I know, was only used later in the war and afterward. The brass liners and tool compliment perfectly match both the Camillus 99 from the 1946 catalog, the post-war "Army General Purpose Knife" sold from the catalog, and the late war Quartermaster knives, even down to the new longer shackle. But none of those knives used bone covers, and only the 99 actually had a shield.

To complicate matters, it doesn't seem like a parts knife. All of the blades are flush to the springs. The walk and talk on all of the tools is downright perfect. The only flaw is that the awl is missing just the very tip, and has been nicely reshaped to a new point. The knife was crazy dirty when I received it, and took a ton of cleaning to get things working properly again. So if it is a parts knife, it's been that way for a long, long time. The covers have no cracks or chips, and could not have come from an engineer knife, as they do not have the cutout for the old style can opener.

I'm guessing that maybe this is some sort of original run Camillus 99, introduced before the war ended, and before the 1946 catalog, and it just happens to be in very lightly used condition, as the main blade is almost completely full.

Whatever it is, I'm ecstatic. It's a wonderful knife. The Rogers bone covers are worn down to that state where you still get nice darkly dyed recesses, yet a light smooth surface. Between the shield and the very shiny bone, the knife just glows in the light. The mark side and pile side covers even match well.

From a functional perspective, this knife has improved upon the basic Army Engineer Knife. The tip of the longer screwdriver is perfectly in line with the center line of the knife. The can opener is far less prone to breakage than the older war style opener. The spear blade and awl remain unchanged.

I bought this knife as a user to keep in my outdoor pack, because I was sure that it was a parts knife. But suddenly I'm not so sure, to the point that I'm kind of afraid to use it. It could very well be the earliest and completely undocumented form of the Camillus 99 Camper, and the only one I've ever seen in existence. It's pretty much the holy grail of knives for a Camillus scout collector such as me. Best of all, I got it for less than $35.00 on auction, as it was described as having Delrin covers.

bVXr7FLh.jpg

tR894n2h.jpg

xacYpWJh.jpg

H9qIX6Oh.jpg

4iOlR7Sh.jpg
That is a real beauty, whether it's used or kept at home.
 
Here's a totally oddball Camillus. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. By the bone covers and the blank shield, you'd swear it was a Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) knife, but the rest of the knife shows something entirely different.
Don't believe it was a USN (BuAer or otherwise) knife. May have been a Ship's Store knife (available for purchase by Sailors), but that would be impossible to demonstrate. Don't believe that knife was military issue. More likely a post war commercial knife.
 
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