iKnife Collector
Vintage American Knives
Knives of days gone-by and the companies who made them
Camillus , A. Kastor & Bros. knives
At one time,i did research on the Camillus brand. i even collected a few. This is an overview of its history.
Camillus , A. Kastor & Bros. knives
On Oct. 1, 1876 A. Kastor & Co. was formed by Adolph Kastor.
In 1885 Germania Cutlery Works was opened in Solingen, Germany by Nathan Kastor.
In 1888 A. Kastor & Bros. was formed by four brothers adopting the "Clover Brand".
They imported the English brands- EBRO, XLNT, Rivington, and others. They imported the German brands- Koester's, Germania Cutlery Works,Imperial Razor (Cutwell), Morley, Wadsworth, Duane, Parker, Majestic, Argyle, Corliss, and others. "Cutwell" was the very first Kastor brand name. The first of many.
In 1902 Kastor, purchased a small cutlery manufacturing firm in Camillus , N.Y. from Charles Sherwood. That was the beginning of Camillus Cutlery Company. Imported and U.S. made knives were under both Kastor and Camillus names.
In 1906 Camillus introduced the "Crossed Swords" brand trademark
During 1914-1918, leading up to and during WWI, Camillus and Kastor provided military knives for the U.S., Canada, Red Cross, and the Dutch.
In 1923 Camillus began providing knives to the Sears Roebuck company under the brands- Sta-Sharp, Dunlap, and Kwik-Kut.
In 1924 Camillus began "Stainless Cutlery Company" brand using stainless steel blades.
In 1934 Camillus began the "Kent" trademark on knives for F. W. Woolsworth.
By 1938 Camillus was using the brands-Streamline, Camco, Syracuse Knife Co., Mumbly Peg, High Carbon Steel, U.S.A., and others.
During the 1930's Camillus made hunting knives that evolved into their military knives during WWII.
During WWII Camillus was a major supplier of military knives for the U.S. and our allies.
At the end of the war the Kastor name was dropped.
In 1963 Camillus fell under the ownership of the daughters of Albert M. Baer, who had been associated with Camillus since 1922, Ulster since 1942, and Imperial since 1947.
1968-1984 Camillus make contract knives for Buck Knives.
Through the years, Camillus has made bicentennial, commemorative, and presentation knives for many occasions, enjoying the respect of the cutlery industry.
These are just the highlights of the history of a company that has served its country well.
In Memoriam
Terry Ray
What about Norm Thompson stamped knives?
Clay Strong said:
Nov 15, 2013
Clay Strong
Terry, I can't recall a Norm Thompson. But, it would not surprise me at all that there is a connection to Camillus. Please share any information that you might have about Thompson. Many firms, even individuals had contracts with Camillus to make knives with names of their choice on them. The knives were a form of promotion.
Edit: I found that Western made the Norm Thompson, a retailer in the 1960s and 1970s. I'm not sure as to who was the official owner of Western at the time.
Nov 15, 2013
Clay Strong
More interesting history about the Kastor brothers.
Kastor Brothers
Nov 20, 2013