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Colonial Fish Knives
I'm surprised there isn't a thread on Colonial Fish Knives, I've seen them all over the place for years and would expect a few to show up here, but alas I guess I'll be the one to start a discussion. These were obviously popular locally, I have seen scads of them in various states of disrepair at the local swap, but most are broken or have turned to rusticles. I found these three all together in a showcase at a thrift store, I thought it nifty to find three knives of the same maker & model at the same time, and unlike many others I've seen these were in decent condition. They are as found, no cleaning done yet, and notice the sabre grind on the black one....could that be stainless? I dunno, I just know I now have a small collection of Colonial Fish Knives to go with the camp knives I have, I guess that makes me a Colonial collector! If you have any please feel free to post photos here.
Replies to This Discussion
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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on -
Syd, I am glad you started this discussion. I collect fish knives as a pattern. Right now I have about 28 fish knives but only one Colonial. The one I have is just like your black one. It came with a sheath that has a company logo on it.
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Permalink Reply by Syd Carr on
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I think I remember you mentioning that you had a lot of fish knives a while back, glad I started the thread now. Having that very cool sheath with that knife in near perfect condition is wonderful, I'll have to keep my eye out for one like it. Do you know about the steel on that knife? Stainless maybe? Though it's the same frame as the others, these black ones seem to be a step up in quality. Living near a town with a fishing history like Morro Bay, it's not surprising to find a lot of these knives at swaps and yard sales, but most are in horrible condition due to the salty environment. The three I found were in surprisingly good condition compared to the knives I usually see around here, and the one in your photo is in stunningly good condition.
Well, now I'm hooked, (lol), I'll be actively searching for more fish knives from here on out. Show me what to look for folks, keep posting those fishy knife photos here!
Charles Sample said:Syd, I am glad you started this discussion. I collect fish knives as a pattern. Right now I have about 28 fish knives but only one Colonial. The one I have is just like your black one. It came with a sheath that has a company logo on it.
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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on -
Syd, another thing I had forgotten about my Colonial fish knife was that the sheath has initials on it too. I think the company must have given these out as some sort of employee appreciation award. The initials R. A. were probably the employees initials.
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I wonder if that's mentioned in the Colonial book Jan has, if true that is a great score Charles as those would be scarce and few in number, very collectible indeed! Kinda like finding a Buck Folding Hunter with a serrated blade, those were only used as salesman samples, and were never available to the general public. Great find!
Charles Sample said:Syd, another thing I had forgotten about my Colonial fish knife was that the sheath has initials on it too. I think the company must have given these out as some sort of employee appreciation award. The initials R. A. were probably the employees initials.
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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on -
Also Syd, if you are contemplating expanding your fish knife collection, I have a couple of suggestions to get you started. (Well, actually you are already started with your three Colonials.) Rough Rider makes two fish knives, RR1401 and RR1597. SMKW lists them both for $12.99 plus shipping. The RR1401 is listed as Out of Stock right now.
The RR1401 has red jigged bone scales with 440A stainless steel blades, brass pins and liners, and nickel silver bolsters and shield. I have found it on eBay as low as $12.08 with free shipping.
The RR1597, part of their copper series, has smooth black bone scales with stonewashed 440A stainless steel blades with copper liners, pins, and bolsters. The neat fishhook shaped bail is also copper. The shield is a hook sharpener. I have found it on eBay for as little as $11.99 with free shipping.
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Uh oh, I think that I MUST HAVE the RR 1597, I just love the copper, and the stonewash on the blades looks like carbon with a perfect patina, just like all the carbon-only guys drool over, (sorry, I just don't get it...how can you love rust??). Thanks for the tip Charles, if you want me I'll be surfing at SMKW within minutes!
Charles Sample said:Also Syd, if you are contemplating expanding your fish knife collection, I have a couple of suggestions to get you started. (Well, actually you are already started with your three Colonials.) Rough Rider makes two fish knives, RR1401 and RR1597. SMKW lists them both for $12.99 plus shipping. The RR1401 is listed as Out of Stock right now.
The RR1401 has red jigged bone scales with 440A stainless steel blades, brass pins and liners, and nickel silver bolsters and shield. I have found it on eBay as low as $12.08 with free shipping.
The RR1597, part of their copper series, has smooth black bone scales with stonewashed 440A stainless steel blades with copper liners, pins, and bolsters. The neat fishhook shaped bail is also copper. The shield is a hook sharpener. I have found it on eBay for as little as $11.99 with free shipping.
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