"Old Knives"

Enclosed is a short excerpt from an article I wrote on the EIG company many years ago. Also included is a catalog illustration for you knife from 1957, it was not listed in future EIG catalogs.

While “EIG” sounds like an acronym, it’s actually the last name of the company’s founder, Saul Eig, who resided in Florida with his wife Lois. Saul registered “The Eig Corp.” on Dec. 27th 1956 in the state of Florida, but the company and catalogs existed at least two years earlier. The company had three officers who were “E.H. Hill Jr.”, M.E. Curry”, and J.O. Fredlund” and were most likely partners in the company. The main focus of “EIG Corp.” in the beginning was the importation of cheaply made firearms from Italy and Germany, but knives and related sporting items were also sold. EIG later went on to actually manufacture and sell cheaply made guns but that was short lived.

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"that's it" - thanks -
 
This Case Bros, Springville was made before WWI! The Case Bros ended ~ca 1915!!
This is a pattern number 6235 1/2P with real nice Bone handles!! I wonder if that is Rogers Bone??
Anyway I love this old knife, a bit of history in the long saga of Case!!
So does my friend "Rocky"!!:DView attachment 1316240 View attachment 1316241 View attachment 1316242 View attachment 1316243


That's the first time I've seen the different grind on the primary bevel, near the ricasso. I guess, functionally it takes the place of a sharpening choil.
That comes from a time when labour was cheap.

Beautiful knife Charlie!
 
Nice find once again Herder! In my mind I had that as a 70’s Knife, simply ( and incorrectly ) because I owned a couple of EIG Italy fixed Blades when I used to gather more Bowie Type of Knives.
I always thought the knives had a connection to the Solingen Cutler Firms.
 
Nice find once again Herder! In my mind I had that as a 70’s Knife, simply ( and incorrectly ) because I owned a couple of EIG Italy fixed Blades when I used to gather more Bowie Type of Knives.
I always thought the knives had a connection to the Solingen Cutler Firms.

Thanks, EIG started out selling mostly German and Italian knives in the 1950s and early 1960s. But they started phasing out most of the Italian models and concentrated more on German and Japanese made knives in the mid to late 1960s. Eig sold his business in 1969, and I believe the company faded away fairly soon after that.
 
This Case Bros, Springville was made before WWI! The Case Bros ended ~ca 1915!!
This is a pattern number 6235 1/2P with real nice Bone handles!! I wonder if that is Rogers Bone??
Anyway I love this old knife, a bit of history in the long saga of Case!!
So does my friend "Rocky"!!:DView attachment 1316240 View attachment 1316241 View attachment 1316242 View attachment 1316243

What a beautiful and very old American-made knife. Rogers bone? probably, but rogers bone is certainly less defined than other types.
 
I picked this up last year, not clear exactly how old this senator is but the seller sent some provenance in a nice hand written letter. Stated it belonged to his father (born 1900) and it was given to him early in life by a family friend. His father wrote the man's name on a little scrap of paper and kept it in the box with the knife. (he included that little scrap).

Pretty neat....going to keep everything together in case I send it down the road in the future.


 
Beautiful bone on that muskrat, Augie!:thumbsup:
Wow, Charlie, that Case Bros Springville is incredible!:thumbsup: According to Jim Sargent that is a very rare stamp, of course I am sure that you already knew that.
Very lovely IXL senator, JustinR!:thumbsup:
 
I picked this up last year, not clear exactly how old this senator is but the seller sent some provenance in a nice hand written letter. Stated it belonged to his father (born 1900) and it was given to him early in life by a family friend. His father wrote the man's name on a little scrap of paper and kept it in the box with the knife. (he included that little scrap).

Pretty neat....going to keep everything together in case I send it down the road in the future.



Very nice IXL Senator model. That was a popular knife for Wostenholm and shown in several early catalogs, but not in 1940 or beyond.
Enclosed is one catalog illustration from the 1920s.

Also shown is a similar sized IXL pearl 2 blade model which has "Stainless Steel" stamped on the small blade, so we know that it is at least 1914 or later.

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Very nice IXL Senator model. That was a popular knife for Wostenholm and shown in several early catalogs, but not in 1940 or beyond.
Enclosed is one catalog illustration from the 1920s.

Also shown is a similar sized IXL pearl 2 blade model which has "Stainless Steel" stamped on the small blade, so we know that it is at least 1914 or later.

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Wow, thanks for that info!
 
JustinR, congrats on a beautiful senator that includes a story. I have this one:

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Fantastic Display of those Pearlies! Beauties they are, every one of them- extremely nice conditioned and I would be so proud to display either of them!

JustinR - my friend... what a nice example!:thumbsup:

Herder matey - Wow!... Another one of your Time Machine Scores? :eek: :thumbsup:

I think our friend Mike Robuck was hiding in the back under cover when Herder went on his Time Machine trip to pick up more Knives - because he scored a bloody beauty there!!!!:eek: :eek:
 
Some beautiful knives Justin, Herder and Mike :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ...

JustinR, congrats on a beautiful senator that includes a story. I have this one:

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Mike - I think we may have discussed this before but I also have a knife stamped on the blade "Senator's Knife" - a Jonathan Crookes and similar to yours in style but I don't see many with the Senator stamp - but maybe it is only my perception and experience...

Here's a Holley Hunter I would like to share - 4 3/4" closed - Ebony handle and a strong spring - snaps like a gator and is tight... Someone carved their initials in the ebony on mark side which to me adds some character - JHM - I think probably given the price back in the 1800s I would have carved my initials in it too o_O ...

The short story behind this knife from 5 years ago - The knife caught my eye in a little local off the road shop but before looking I asked the owner who the maker was - he said I think "Olley or Ollie" :) - he wasn't sure at all... and accordingly after looking with my loupe and the maker being clear to me I paid him asap for an "Ollie" - much cheaper than a Holley ;) .. Anyway I have only seen one other like this in the past - an ivory version. The stamp which is worn (and worn stamps are not uncommon on Holleys imo - I don't think they whaled on the hammer when stamping their tangs on blades) reads HOLLEY/MAN'FG Co/Lakeville/CONN - so made sometime after 1854 when the company was incorporated with that name, but I think this knife was earlier than later in their existence... Interesting the bar shield is also very similar to those we were discussing a few pages back found on Empires - in fact Charlie noted how Schrade called those bar shields - Empire shields :) .. Cool :cool: ... Thanks for looking and do not think I ever shared this here - just got some good photos after all these years...

Hope all are well and be safe!!

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That’s a nice Big Old Jack there Longblade!
A really nice full blade on that with its matchstrike long pull really adds to it, and that lovely Chunky Swage work just finishes it off superbly!

Have we seen many Holley’s out there with that Empire Shield? ( not that I have gone out to research that yet at all), and with that question- was Empire the ONLY cutler firm to use that Shield? The only reason why I ask is pure curiosity- in my mind if that knife was not Stamped - you’d be forgiven thinking that was a Empire! :eek: :) :thumbsup:
 
Thanks Duncan :thumbsup: .. and Charlie thanks for clarifying the shape of the bar - I should have been more clear about Empire and bar shields - as you said there were those as you note, others with just a point and others with the ends just squared off... and many companies used bar shields - both here and across the pond :)... just as an aside I believe many Sheffield Exhibition knives had bar shields ...
 
Thanks Mike... True and doubt it was marketing (but one never knows) - and other congress knives are stamped Tobacco - but those knives are often used to cut tobacco plugs :) ...
 
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