Primble
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- Mar 31, 2014
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Short history of Belknap and John Primble
Some of my collected online information about Primble knives:
From All About Pocket Knives:
The Belknap Hardware Company was originally founded by William Burke Belknap in 1840 in Louisville, Kentucky. The company started out producing iron products such as horse shoes, nails, spikes and such. Lets establish a little historic perspective; Mr. Belknaps contemporaries were the likes of E.C. Simmons and A. F. Shapleighwhose respective companies achieved remarkable success. Mr. Belknap ran the company for 40 years and, arguably, can be considered an inspiring example of American entrepreneurial spirit! The Belknap Hardware Companys catalog eventually consisted of more than 117,000 items. Unfortunately, this grand American company ran out of economic gas in 1986 (though it outlasted two of it's giant competitors; Simmons and Shapleigh). During its existence, it sold a variety of trademarked brands of product. One such brand was the John Primble offering of traditional pocket knives (initially started in 1931). Interestingly, it is the longest continuous line of cutlery in America!
Typically, the Primble brand of knives were made for Belknap by Boker, Camilus, Case, Schrade and Utica. *
I do find it surprising that a company whose motto and general business philosophy was Primblegoods of honor has vanished. I think that most US-born adults over the age of 40 recognize that todays America is getting further and further away from its root principles and value system. Surenothing stays the samecountries, societies and cultures change. Human history absolutely demonstrates this. Still, human history also clearly demonstrates that greatness is most often the result of doing the right thing. I think that Belknapas a companydid achieve a level of greatness.
Bernard Levine:
"John Primble" was originally the premium private brand of the Louisville, Kentucky, wholesale hardware distributor Belknap Hardware Co.
Belknap was founded about 1840. In about 1890 Belknap first began to use the brand JOHN PRIMBLE, INDIA STEEL WORKS on its premium quality cutlery. This brand continued in use until about 1940.
After World War II, in 1947, Belknap began to use the brand JOHN PRIMBLE on its premium grade cutlery. PRIMBLE knives were made for Belknap by such firms as Boker, Camillus, Utica, and Schrade-Walden. This PRIMBLE brand continued in use until Belknap went out of business in 1985.
THE MASTER BLADE TANG IS STAMPED; JOHN PRIMBLE BELKNAP HDW. & MFG.CO. THE TANG ON THE BACK OF THE MASTER BLADE IS STAMPED PATTERN # 5390, WITH A STAR SYMBOL.
It is a little older than the seller thought, that tangstamp was used from 1940 until 1968, it could still have been sitting in a store in the 70's of course, so they may think it was made then.
The star on the pile side of the tang usually means it was a Boker contract made prior to 1965, Primble knives with the "Belknap" tangstamp of the same era without the star were normally Schrade.
Primbles have been made by MANY different contractors over the years.
Some of the ones I know of are:
George Wostenholm Cutlery
Roberson
H. Boker
New York Knife
Schrade
Schrade-Walden
Camillus
Case...(only "Baby Doctor" patterns very early on as far as I know)
Queen
In 1968 the stamp was shortened to Belknap Inc. Collectors can date this by a Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper article published in July of 1968. It stated, Louisvilles Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Co. is no more. The company hasnt gone out of business, but its stockholders yesterday approved the change of the company name to Belknap Inc. The reason given for the change was that U.S. Fair Packaging & Labeling Act had disallowed abbreviations of firm names, and Belknaps whole name was simply too long to put on small items.
Other stamps used on the firms knives include J. PRIMBLE BELKNAP GERMANY in about 1955 and BLUE RIBBON CUT CO. from 1910 to 1952.
One of the largest and oldest hardware companies which marketed knives, Belknap outlasted all the major hardware companies of the era such as Simmons Hardware, Shapleigh Hardware, Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett, Van Camp, Witte and even a competitor in Louisville by the name of Robinson Brothers, which may be subjected for a later article. Belknap finally closed their doors in 1985.
When Belknap closed, its Primble and Blue Grass brands were purchased by Roy Scott, then of Ohio, who founded Blue Grass Cutlery Company. He also acquired the rights to sell WINCHESTER brand knives.
Since that time, Blue Grass has made a specialty of selling traditional pattern pocketknives made with traditional materials to a high standard of quality. These knives have proven to be very popular with collectors. They offer an opportunity to own fine traditional pocketknives at a fraction of the cost of antiques.
Currently Blue Grass Cutlery owns the name and has contracted new John Primbles from overseas.
If anyone else would like to post a picture of an old John Primble knife here, I would be happy to see it.
John Primble Belknap Hdw. & Mfg. Co. was a stamp used in the years from about 1940 to 1968.
Please limit your pictures of "Old" John Primbles to knives made for the Belknap Company, before the year of 1968.
Tang stamps that include Louisville, Maysville, and Manchester were not made for the Belknap Hardware Company and were made after the company closed it's doors for business.
Thank you Stephen and Duncan for your generosity.
Some of my collected online information about Primble knives:
From All About Pocket Knives:
The Belknap Hardware Company was originally founded by William Burke Belknap in 1840 in Louisville, Kentucky. The company started out producing iron products such as horse shoes, nails, spikes and such. Lets establish a little historic perspective; Mr. Belknaps contemporaries were the likes of E.C. Simmons and A. F. Shapleighwhose respective companies achieved remarkable success. Mr. Belknap ran the company for 40 years and, arguably, can be considered an inspiring example of American entrepreneurial spirit! The Belknap Hardware Companys catalog eventually consisted of more than 117,000 items. Unfortunately, this grand American company ran out of economic gas in 1986 (though it outlasted two of it's giant competitors; Simmons and Shapleigh). During its existence, it sold a variety of trademarked brands of product. One such brand was the John Primble offering of traditional pocket knives (initially started in 1931). Interestingly, it is the longest continuous line of cutlery in America!
Typically, the Primble brand of knives were made for Belknap by Boker, Camilus, Case, Schrade and Utica. *
I do find it surprising that a company whose motto and general business philosophy was Primblegoods of honor has vanished. I think that most US-born adults over the age of 40 recognize that todays America is getting further and further away from its root principles and value system. Surenothing stays the samecountries, societies and cultures change. Human history absolutely demonstrates this. Still, human history also clearly demonstrates that greatness is most often the result of doing the right thing. I think that Belknapas a companydid achieve a level of greatness.
Bernard Levine:
"John Primble" was originally the premium private brand of the Louisville, Kentucky, wholesale hardware distributor Belknap Hardware Co.
Belknap was founded about 1840. In about 1890 Belknap first began to use the brand JOHN PRIMBLE, INDIA STEEL WORKS on its premium quality cutlery. This brand continued in use until about 1940.
After World War II, in 1947, Belknap began to use the brand JOHN PRIMBLE on its premium grade cutlery. PRIMBLE knives were made for Belknap by such firms as Boker, Camillus, Utica, and Schrade-Walden. This PRIMBLE brand continued in use until Belknap went out of business in 1985.
THE MASTER BLADE TANG IS STAMPED; JOHN PRIMBLE BELKNAP HDW. & MFG.CO. THE TANG ON THE BACK OF THE MASTER BLADE IS STAMPED PATTERN # 5390, WITH A STAR SYMBOL.
It is a little older than the seller thought, that tangstamp was used from 1940 until 1968, it could still have been sitting in a store in the 70's of course, so they may think it was made then.
The star on the pile side of the tang usually means it was a Boker contract made prior to 1965, Primble knives with the "Belknap" tangstamp of the same era without the star were normally Schrade.
Primbles have been made by MANY different contractors over the years.
Some of the ones I know of are:
George Wostenholm Cutlery
Roberson
H. Boker
New York Knife
Schrade
Schrade-Walden
Camillus
Case...(only "Baby Doctor" patterns very early on as far as I know)
Queen
In 1968 the stamp was shortened to Belknap Inc. Collectors can date this by a Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper article published in July of 1968. It stated, Louisvilles Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Co. is no more. The company hasnt gone out of business, but its stockholders yesterday approved the change of the company name to Belknap Inc. The reason given for the change was that U.S. Fair Packaging & Labeling Act had disallowed abbreviations of firm names, and Belknaps whole name was simply too long to put on small items.
Other stamps used on the firms knives include J. PRIMBLE BELKNAP GERMANY in about 1955 and BLUE RIBBON CUT CO. from 1910 to 1952.
One of the largest and oldest hardware companies which marketed knives, Belknap outlasted all the major hardware companies of the era such as Simmons Hardware, Shapleigh Hardware, Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett, Van Camp, Witte and even a competitor in Louisville by the name of Robinson Brothers, which may be subjected for a later article. Belknap finally closed their doors in 1985.
When Belknap closed, its Primble and Blue Grass brands were purchased by Roy Scott, then of Ohio, who founded Blue Grass Cutlery Company. He also acquired the rights to sell WINCHESTER brand knives.
Since that time, Blue Grass has made a specialty of selling traditional pattern pocketknives made with traditional materials to a high standard of quality. These knives have proven to be very popular with collectors. They offer an opportunity to own fine traditional pocketknives at a fraction of the cost of antiques.
Currently Blue Grass Cutlery owns the name and has contracted new John Primbles from overseas.
If anyone else would like to post a picture of an old John Primble knife here, I would be happy to see it.
John Primble Belknap Hdw. & Mfg. Co. was a stamp used in the years from about 1940 to 1968.
Please limit your pictures of "Old" John Primbles to knives made for the Belknap Company, before the year of 1968.
Tang stamps that include Louisville, Maysville, and Manchester were not made for the Belknap Hardware Company and were made after the company closed it's doors for business.
Thank you Stephen and Duncan for your generosity.
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