Thanks Tristan. I needed the Kukri knives like a hole in the head, but at least now I have them represented in my collection, so if I look at it that way I guess I really DID need them!. The real score of the day was the Camillus though, I'm thrilled with that one.

Not done yet! Stopped at a thrift store on the way to the market today, and came out with these two items. A Hermes France pocket knife with corkscrew, and a Gerber folding knife sheath, (for 4"-4.25" folders). The knife has "Schlumberger" on the handle, and various stamps & hallmarks on the blade(s). Don't know much of anything about the brand, (Hermes or Schlumberger?), but the only example I could find for sale on feebay were priced in the stratospheric-range. I'm not that lucky, but if anyone out there knows anything about this brand/knife please contribute and let me know. You can see the end of the main blade is nicked, but otherwise it is in decent condition. The sheath is in good condition also, and they were both had for $1.50 each.

You can't find what you're looking for unless you go looking!

Great finds Syd! I think it's Tobias that has a soft spot in his heart (and wallet) for the Marlin Spikes...he should be all over this one!

And the pair of Khukuri's...well, those are always great to have!

Syd-- I am very happy to inform you that you are indeed, that lucky !! Your Hermes/Schlumberger knife is a very valuable and rare knife because of those 2 names !! Hermes is a 175 year old fashion empire dealing in luxury jewelry, leather goods, silks, perfumes, etc. ( Think Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA).  The Schlumberger stands for Jean Schlumberger of Tiffany & Co. fame. He was a French jewelry designer hired by Tiffany in 1956 and who remained there until his retirement as a vice-president of Tiffanys in the late 70's- He remains to this day 1 of only 4 jewelry designers allowed to sign his own work,

The knife was given out as a premium of some sort with a  particular Hermes purchase- The knife was designed by Jean Schlumberger--The names are the value in this knife-- I saw one that sold for $88 foolishly.  The others I have seen are $500 and up. I have seen the same knife offered for thousands--Most were in auctions in the $600-700 range with  several interested bidders. Not bad for a flea market find !! 

Wow John, now that's different!! Thanks for the info, I wondered why the only other example I could find of the knife was a listing on feebay with a Buy It Now price of over $800. I'm experienced with, and naturally suspicious of listings on feebay, and though I have hundreds of transaction as both seller and buyer, certain listings raise my hackles. I thought this one was just a seller with a store who could list it for free just to see if some unsuspecting fool would bite. I guess that seller knew something about the knife that I didn't!......WOW again!!! For a buck fiddy no less!!! I'll make sure to list that one on the NM Collector software program I'm using to document my small collection, I was thinking it wasn't collectible enough to bother. Of course, I could get greedy and sell it to finance more knives. I've never been in this position before, can't believe I actually scored a real rarity.

I almost didn't buy it either, I was more interested in the leather sheath at $1.50, but since they were only asking the same for the knife I decided to just get because I didn't have any other knife like it. Glad I did, and glad I dropped in the place on a whim. This was a privately-owned thrift store, and I normally avoid those and shop at places that benefit some charitable organization, but that day it was convenient, so I figured I'd check it out. NOW WHAT??

Syd--Glad I could help !! BTW, your knife was made in the 60's or 70's while Jean Sclumberger was at Tiffanys. If you were ever to sell it- I would put it in a high-end auction where folks know what those 2 names represent !! Here is a pic of the knife with the original box I found in that type auction-

great find on the hermes syd!

Syd- If you can get some good pics  of the hallmarks or any other markings you haven't already shown, I will try and tell you more about this gem !!

I'll try John. There is a hallmark at the base of the main blade, but I can't make it out even with a magnifying glass. Standby, I'll go outside and see if I can get some better closeups.

Syd-- Sorry, but I couldn't help myself-- I just had to post this !! ROFL

like your humorous knife vulture john!

I'm busy taking new photos, so I'm not listening. Imagine fingers in my ears, me going, "la, la, la, la ,la"....(make me an offer)..

Best I can do John, my camera is only 5mpx. The hallmark at the base of the blade is shown, and to me looks possibly something like a crown?

Here's another perspective.

Well, it's hopeless, I'm hooked.

Finding that Hermes Schlumberger set me on a path of forever looking for collectible knives. Today I went to our local little swap meet, and came home $20 lighter with a pocket full 'o knives, including a Russian version of the Swiss Army knife, (even has a toothpick and tweezers, and well-built ta boot), and an old Hammer Brand pen knife with jigged bone (maybe?) handles, (New York Knife Co, Walden New York). I also found an old all-metal Kamp King, (missing the bail, but otherwise complete), a Western USA L58 fixed blade, (broken, but good for parts), and a no-name multi tool-type knife with rubber handles, (a nice, tight knife actually). Included was a Pakistani Congress with "who knows" handles. I paid an average of $3.33 per knife, so I'm reasonably satisfied. I thought about posting a photo of the Congress on Tobias' thread of the same name, but it doesn't stack up to the fine old Case that Tobias posted, so I won't sully that gem with photos of this spurious find on the same page.

The Russian knife, (the green handled one), is surprisingly well made, and all of the gadgets work, the blades snap, etc. I've never seen or heard of a Russian-made pocket knife, so I'm glad I have it, if for nothing else the novelty of it. The Hammer Brand pen knife is nice too, though I'm not sure if the handles are bone or Delrin, or possibly bakelite? I've seen Kamp Kings before, but never one with all-metal handle(s), and being relatively intact I figured it was worth $3. I need a pommel for an old Kabar I have in my drawer, so I bought the old Western fixed blade so I could use that pommel on the Kabar.

Anyway, collectible or not, I'll add these to my pile of "giveaways" or keep them as trade fodder, and doubtless will be scrounging for more in the future.

Update: I went to Blade Forums and searched for the Hammer Brand pen knife, and though I couldn't identify it's model number, I think I determined it's age via the tang stamp. According to what I can see through a magnifying glass the knife was made sometime between 1936 and 1941. I found the following diagram of Hammer tang stamps, so that's how I identified it's approximate age. I can't really tell if it is the earlier or latter date as the stamp is worn, but I'm pretty sure it was made prior to WWII. Not bad for $3.

Syd- I really must go knife hunting with you !!-You neglected one small point on your bone handled Hammer Brand pen knife--- That it the fact that it has a New York Knife Co. Walden tang stamp !! - circa 1856-1931 BEFORE they went bankrupt  in 1931 and the Hammer Brand trademark was bought by Imperial !! Much higher quality and more valuable than the Imperial-Schrade versions- Some, not all of these, NYKCo. knives can run as high as $450- Definitely, even on the low end of the price scale, worth a lot more than you paid for it.-- If you can take pics of both the Hammer and the New York stamps and of the shield, I may be able to tell you more as to age and value. BTW, while your at it can you shoot some pics of any markings on the "Russian" knife-- Intrigued and will try an ID for you.  

Syd-A little bit on your Russian knife--Your knife was either made or honors the city of Nizhny Novorgorod, the 5th largest city in Russia, located about 400 Km east of Moscow.  The Cyrillic writing under the "Gazelle" translates to Gorky, which is what the city was called from 1932-1990 after the writer Maxim Gorky who was born there. The Gazelle or sometimes called the "running deer" is the symbol of the city. The image on the other side of the knife is also a Gorky city image.Russian knives were commonly marked after cities or famous people, of which this knife is both.Found one other example offered in the $20 range, but the craftsmanship and the cool factor are probably worth more. Perhaps, some of our Russian speaking friends can tell us more.-- Here is the other one I found-- Interesting and beautiful knife--pre 1990 !! Keep hunting !

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/equipment-accessories-personal-items/...

BTW, your Russian knife is probably circa 1960-1990

Syd- if you have any questions about any of your other knives you can always post a question directly here-

http://iknifecollector.com/forum/categories/knife-q-a-with-john-mcc...

Sorry for the delay in responding John, and thank you so much for the info on the Russian knife. I'll try to get a better photo(s) of it, but the only tang stamp I can see looks like an "L" to me, (or something resembling an "L"). I'll get better photos posted ASAP.

I've been on grandpa duty in a neighboring town today, (tomorrow too), and just got home, so I'll do my best to get photos of the tang stamp on that Hammer Brand knife and post them too, (when I recover from chasing an 8 month old around all day....amazing how fast that kid can crawl, he will leave me in the dust when he starts walking....I'm totally exhausted right now). The tang stamp on the Hammer knife is definitely worn, and getting a good photo with my camera will be difficult. I can make out the arm & hammer pretty well. USA does not appear anywhere, (other than on the small blade), as in later dated knives, so according to the chart I posted below this knife was built sometime between 1936 & 1941. There were two different logos during that period, (according to the diagram), but even with a magnifying glass I can't tell the subtle difference between the two. I'm also not sure whether the handles are bone or something else, perhaps you would know about what materials they were using and can clue me in. One thing I DO know is that the knife is remarkably preserved for it's age, (especially coming from a swap meet), and after cleaning it looks very good indeed.

Wow, I guess my life-long avocation as a "junker" is paying off! Just luck of the draw actually, but you don't find if you don't go looking, so I attribute these finds to happenstance, a trained eye for good "stuff", and the fact that I am constantly "looking".

The guy I got them from at the swap had bought "several" knife collections over the years, (he said), and told me he will bring more of them out in the following weeks, so who knows what he will show up with. He showed me an old Schrade Walden, single blade, button lock, no bolsters 3.5 " folder he carried in his pocket that was obviously ancient, (brown smooth bone I think), so hopefully he will have something similar to that to sell the next time I see him.

Due to my baby sitting duties this week it might take me a day or two to get better photos, but please stay tuned for those photos. Thanks again for the historical info and the encouragement, I appreciate it very much.

Syd,

Yep, you are hooked!  And doing very well at it I might add!!  Just know that you can always check here for dating and tangs also

http://iknifecollector.com/group/knifechicks2/forum/topics/date-and...

Thanks for the link Jan, and for confirming our common addiction.

John, this is the best I can do with the equipment I have to work with, (see below). I also put it under a strong light, and used a 4X magnifying glass and compared the stamp to the diagram below, (same as on the thread that Jan pointed out), and I believe now that this is a 1936-37 knife. The arm has that little extra rolled up sleeve compared to the '38-'41 stamp, so I'm going to call it 1936-37. My (very) older brother was born in '37,  so I thought briefly, (very briefly), about giving him this knife, but naww, I'm keeping it.

You can see that the stamp is there, but I just can't get a better photo with my camera. My son in law has an Iphone 6 with a gazillion mpx camera on it, I might try to get him to take a better photo, but for now this is the best I can do. Whadduya think? Whether it's a '36, a '41, or a whatever; I'm just glad I found it. Any idea whether the handles are bone? (Looks like it to me).

Syd-- Let me reiterate this fact-- Your Hammer Brand/ New York Knife Co, pen blade knife was made years before Imperial or Schrade had anything to to do with the Hammer Brand trademark-- Therefore, that Imperial Brand chart you are referring to has no meaning as to your knife. Your knife pre-dates that company and all of their tang stamps !!

I believe you Jan, I just can't believe that I am that lucky!! Again....Wow!! Believe me, I AM NOT that lucky, (normally). Maybe it's not luck though, as I bought a couple of lottery tickets the other day and got nuthin', so it must be a fluke.(But considering the Camillus, the Hermes, and now this...doesn't make much sense, but seeing is believing).

Well then, how old is it? Were the photos I added enough to help identify it? I suppose I should ask the son in law to come over with his camera to see if I can get some better photos.

Thank you Jan, I would most likely have never known the skinny on the Hermes, or this knife if not for you. I owe you one bro!

Let me know if you come up with any more info. I'll get more photos of the Russian knife tomorrow.