Official Jackmaster Baseball Knife

Cool knife, Rachel :cool::thumbsup::cool:; I certainly haven't seen one before. (On the other hand, I do have an Imperial just that size and shape which just has its metal shell left, and maybe the missing cover "skin" contained Baseball Rules just like yours. :rolleyes:)

How many "configurations" do you think are missing on the mark side, and what are they? I'm guessing there was probably a "single" there, with knife resting on tip of main blade and butt of handle. I'm currently having trouble imagining any other possible configurations when you open the knife as illustrated and try to stick it in the ground.

Speaking of sticking in the ground, I imagine scoring is much higher on natural grass than on a field of artificial turf!! ;)
 
You can see the full handle pictures if you Google Jackmaster baseball knife.
 
Jolipapa said:
When I was around 11, we used to play with an Opinel between our fingers, hand on the grass. Happily no one did do it fast enough to hurt a finger or the back of the hand. Recently I heard about this silly game, but I can't remember if it was in a movie or else.
Click to expand...
"Five Finger Fillet!" We used to play that, but with pencils. We also played a game where one player rested a comb on the back of his hand, the other player tried to grab it and smack or rake the teeth across the first player's knuckles before he could draw his hand back. First person to bleed lost. Before the internet, kids had to make their own fun. :D
singin50 said:
:cool:Great find, Rachel! I know and had seen one once. Only because for a 2 year period of time, back from 2010 thru 2012, I had been hunting every shell handled Imperial I could find, to fill my cardboard counter displays, and ran across one. Unfortunately it was also missing some of its shell wrapping. But as far as even owning one, I probably should have bought it. So I’m very tickled to see yours! They were and are part of the history of these fun little and dependable knives. :thumbsup::cool:
Click to expand...
Do you still have your collection? I'd like to see a picture of the cardboard display with all the different variations.
I imagine there aren't many of these Baseball Knives around because they either broke from playing with them, or were confiscated by parents and teachers and ended up in the trash. Mine has full blades, but unsurprisingly, there is a lot of wobble to the pivot joint.

Jack Black said:
2qdbtq9-1-png.946247
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting that "how to", Jack. I'm sure there were many regional variations to the rules. I love the part at the end: "Your knife is a valuable tool as well as a plaything." :D Not only no internet, but no personal injury lawyers, either! :D
 
We used to throw a knife and try to get it to stick in the ground as close as possible to the other guys foot. We called it mumbly peg. We usually used little double sided daggers. Never knew there was actually a real mumbly peg game.
 
r8shell said:
Thanks for posting that "how to", Jack. I'm sure there were many regional variations to the rules. I love the part at the end: "Your knife is a valuable tool as well as a plaything." :D Not only no internet, but no personal injury lawyers, either! :D
Click to expand...

I forget where I downloaded it from now Rachel :) There's some crazy stuff in there isn't there?! :eek: But only toss your knife over your shoulder once! :D
 
herder said:
Neat knife. Just imagine, kids actually playing something outside... :)
Click to expand...

A good summer day was when your Mom or Dad had to spray you off with a garden hose before dinner. :p

All of us had pocket knives, dart boards, sling shots, footballs, lawn darts, BB guns etc. :D

The summer badge of honor was a tetanus shot and/or a stitch or two. :eek:

My Dad bought me an old used 410 shotgun for my 8th birthday. :cool:

Things have certainly changed! :confused:
 
r8shell said:
"Five Finger Fillet!" We used to play that, but with pencils. We also played a game where one player rested a comb on the back of his hand, the other player tried to grab it and smack or rake the teeth across the first player's knuckles before he could draw his hand back. First person to bleed lost. Before the internet, kids had to make their own fun. :D

... Not only no internet, but no personal injury lawyers, either! :D
Click to expand...
In a summer camp, an instructor used to sum it up: "fight like dogs, kill yourself, but DON'T YOU EVER GET HURT!" :eek::D
 
Nice knife Rachel. There is a “something” about those old shell handled knives that strikes a nostalgic nerve inside the brain. Can’t put my finger on it, but love seeing those knives. If you can talk Singin50 into showing off his card collection you will be in for a real treat. OH
Ps. We played chicken at recess with pocketknives - a simple game that involved moving your feet closer and closer together while your buddy stuck the knife in the ground - getting caught playing with knives by the Nuns was worse than getting stuck.
 
This is great. I'd never even heard of Mumbly Peg, let alone Knife Baseball. But as a kid had played many made up games that involved throwing knives into the ground.

Does this particular knife have half stops? Just wondering, as the "instructions" show throwing the knife with both blades open. I really love Jacks instruction sheet showing handholds with the point held by hand/foot/finger. :D
 
Wonderful displays!

Rachel, I have seen a LOT of Imperial shells, and have never seen one of those. COOL!
 
singin50 said:
Took me longer than I thought, sorry for the delay, Rachel.
Click to expand...
Wow! :eek: A fistful of value, indeed! Thank you for showing your cool collection.
bflying said:
This is great. I'd never even heard of Mumbly Peg, let alone Knife Baseball. But as a kid had played many made up games that involved throwing knives into the ground.

Does this particular knife have half stops? Just wondering, as the "instructions" show throwing the knife with both blades open. I really love Jacks instruction sheet showing handholds with the point held by hand/foot/finger. :D
Click to expand...
Yes, it has half stops. Safety first! :D

You know, while playing with knives is generally considered a dangerous activity nowadays, I'll bet there were very few injuries. Most kids were likely wearing shoes, and not exactly experts at sharpening. Safer than riding our bicycles (without helmets, of course) home after a day of knife throwing. Good times.
 
My pleasure, Rachel. Obsession is a funny thing, back then I was quite obsessed with those. Now I just enjoy looking at them instead of for them. Hold onto that baseball ball knife! It’s good history!
 
Yeah, most of the Imperial Hammer branded shells I have owned were equipped with half stops, even the tiny ones!
 
r8shell said:
I'll bet there were very few injuries. Most kids were likely wearing shoes, and not exactly experts at sharpening. Safer than riding our bicycles (without helmets, of course) home after a day of knife throwing. Good times.
Click to expand...
Very true and good point.
 
Very cool, I can only imagine how much fun kids were having around the time this knife was made.
I am sadly from the era where few kids had pocket knives let alone played games with them. If a friends parent saw that you had a pocket knife you were sent home and now had one less friend, if someone saw kids playing games with a pocket knife CPS would probably have been called.
I've heard of such games kids played i just never experienced them, though im not sure I would have played them anyways

Before I was a teenager the only other kid i knew who carried a knife in his pocket was an unsavory 10 year old with a record who last I heard started to loose his teeth to methamphetamine at the age of 16.

I personally used a Schrade 33OT to open things, whittle sticks, and I used the sheep's foot in place of an Xacto for various craft projects.
This other kid used his cheap one hand opener to deface public property and who knows what else, him and others like him are probably why carrying pocket knives were / are frowned upon with many parents these days.

Really sad to think of how things have turned.
 
I'm letting my dad who is 93 enjoy this knife. He grew up in Baden, PA & told me how as kids they would play Baseball on his best friends wooden porch (1930's). They all carried knifes at an early age prior to High School. He said they also played a variation of what maybe Mumbley-peg. This knife looked like it was never used much. Developed a great snap after waking it up from a long time sitting.
Stamp is from 1945-1955 I believe.

jRS7YeD.jpg

OBFrhsU.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top