Alex...

Thanks Alex.  The folding cross-guard is a favorite one too.  I carried the smaller stag handled one for a couple of years.  Their keepers.

A couple of switchblades in the mail today!

The first is not an antique, but it's a real nice Schrade.

It has pretty kind of copper Abalone handles.  On the bolster (which is also the auto-open button) it says 'Schrade'.

On the tang it says:

Schrade Cut.

    Walden

Made in U.S.A.

Nothing on the other side.

On the box it says 'Fire and Ice Tempered' and the knife is wrapped in a brown was-paper.  I don't buy too many new switches but I like this one and Schrades are nice no matter how old they are.

I took some other pics of the Schrade but the didn't come out well.  I will take some more when I have time.

The 2nd knife is Italian and at least 50 years old tho it looks like a NOS.

On the handles it has a Litho Italian scene.  One side has a canal and bridge.  The other side has a Gondola with a Gondolier!  That side says 'Ricordo di Venezia'.  I don't know what that means but I would guess something about a scene in Venice...maybe.

The tang says 'INOX' on one side, nothing on the other.

It opens with a small button after pushing the unlock slide, and it opens with quite a pop!!

Lee...

Great looking knives.

Comment by Lee Saunders1 second ago           Delete Comment

Trying to work my way thru I book I got last week.  Some of you guys probably have it.  Called Switchblades of Italy by Tim Zinser and a few others.  Nice book but a hard read. lots of history in the thing.  But that's a good thing to learn when you're talking about antiques.  It's nice to like what you like.  But it's hella good to know the "why".  Now I have to find me a couple of those old Cadillacs---the original Latama's.  Man those things are sweet.

I am always looking for a good quality auto knife of the Italian and German flavor.  I have several new USA made.  Good info on the book.  Thanks.

Wow that knife I posted a few days ago....the Ricordo di Venezia ??  It's on page 102 of the book I am reading, Switchblades of Italy.  It's a sweet surprise to see your knife in a book.

It was made for the Venice tourist trade,

not one of the top-rank Latama's.  I sure would like to grab one of those at this site---http://latama.net/VintageKnives.html

Anybody got one they wanna trade??  They are so beautiful I may have to stretch my budget and bbuy a cheap one.

http://latama.net/VintageKnives.html

My New Books and Knife!!

I talked about the fact I had bought a book from the author called Antique American Switchblades, plus a knife that he had for sale at a good price since I was buying a copy of the book.

I jumped with no net!  But I did read reviews on the book first.

So today I am updating you on the purchase and posting a few photos for you.

First the book cover with the knife, a Shur-Snap Colonial NOS closed.  Then a pic with the knife open, then a close-up of the open knife on top of the partial book autograph the author included.

The last pic is a book the author was nice enough to throw in about George Schrade switchblades called George Schrade 1860-1940.  He says he got a few of these books from Schrade's son and says they are NOS as well.  My copy certainly looks it.

It's rare to find me  recommend the author of a book, but Mark is a hecka nice guy and I recommend his book to those of you that collect or just like American switchblades.

He has some more knives for sale including more Colonial NOS so if you are interested in talking to him about knives and/or hiss book, get with me and I will give you the info.

Heck I will probably buy another one my ownself an will post some future photos

I have to correct something from the post about the Mark Erickson book and the Schrade book he sent me.  He got it from a Great Grandson of George Schrade and the ook had been published in the 1980s.

That is all.  I'm out!

nice huh??switch%20blade%202.jpg

switch%20blade%20%205.jpg

KNIFE%20GROUPS%20BY%20DISPLAY%20CASES.txt

Nice blade Wayne.  I thought at first it was Press Button, but is it Italian??

yes it is!!

do you know the maker and the age Wayne?

Lee,

Impressive - the book and the knives.  Amazing pieces and a great story 

Picked up two great switchblades plus i put a deposit on another (expensive) switchblade.  A few months and i'll have it paid off so that i can post pics.

Both switchblades are above.  Both are Edgemaster blades.  The top knife actually has Tin handles.  There is another one out there that i want with Brass handles.  Haven't found one yet.  In this photo it looks brassy though huh??  The pics below whow the tin clearly.

.. auto patents w/ diagrams ..

D ale

amazing diagrams, thanks

J

I need some help on ident of this knife, I think it is from frosolone area, no other info on it as yet

Karl, Sorry I had not seen this before.  Maybe contact Muskrat man?

PVK has various size coil springs for sale and returns E-mails. Might be worth a try they may have leaf springs as well.Also knife kits dot com sells all kinds of parts.

this is the best i know of... he wontdo your cheapo switches...like your imperials and so forth...but he can do almost anything else... he can easily fit ya a spring... i just talked with kaleb about 2 days ago.he was one of the first restoration guys i ever trusted. i have known him for years now and would send him anything to restore!... also i dont know about pricing on switches with MM but honestly if you are trying to have a switch fixed in the USA...money cant really be a main concern...just getting the knife back to working should be... smetimes certain work just costs more simply out of demand... and no competition ..ya know.. here is link to his switch page and then you can go from their... if mentined before i am sorry. http://www.muskratmancustomknives.com/custom.html ~~ hope i helped~~

READ KNIFE BOOKS!!! 

NKCA!!!

Peter...

Good information Peter.  Thanks for sharing this with us.

Clint

I joined the Switchblades group because I have had many fine modern OTFs And OTFs. I have not had the pleasure of up close and personal with quality classic switchblades. I'm hoping to be introduced to the higher quality classics. Thanks for the opportunity. 

Donnies newest Love!

Those are really nice and who makes these beauties? 

Well Guy, they are marked Schrade Walden but I know they are manufactured by GEC

That would make them of fine quality. The only classic pocket knives I have used were buck and case. Since my adventure with IKC I have found a whole new world of fine pocket knives.

While I was in Kosovo as a UN police officer a Captain from the Ukrainian Police Service who was also a UN police officer there, gave me an auto which was made in a Ukrainian prison by a prisoner.  This little knife works flawlessly.  (Same post will be posted elsewhere.)

Thats a great looking knife Clint.

Clint, that's a great story and a very interesting knife. I had to laugh, though. Most prison shanks are not engraved, much less automatics!

Both of those badges are beautiful and interesting, as well.

Cheers!

Bob and Ron....

Yes I have many stories about my two year + time in Kosovo.  The guards let them make the knives, then the prisoners trade them for cigarettes and the guards sell the knives.  I had three others I brought back for gifts to a few cop buddies of mine.  No two were alike but the one I kept was the coolest.

Does anyone here have old copies of the "Automatic Knife Resource Guide & Newsletter" published by Sheldon Levy in San Francisco, CA from about 1995 to 2006. If so, I am looking for a few back issues.

hello guys.... anyone ever done business on the site....sharperdeals.net..... they legit?

thank you alex.... do they have paypal?

i saw some kool knives on the site....thanks alex

Just read this on another site

Let me take you back to a simpler time: New York in the 1950s:
Men wore tailored suits with creases in their pants so sharp they could almost cut you, snap brim fedoras, wing-tip shoes with spit-polish shines that were blinding. They “shot their cuffs” through their jacket sleeves and showed off their fancy cuff links. People took pride in their appearance and their work. The post-World War II generation was building skyscrapers that touched the sky. GI Loans paid for houses in the suburbs and sent people to college. Television was the new medium and industry was booming. The world was changing and growing fast. It was a time of optimism, where the belief was that you could do anything you could set your mind to. It was a time of quality and effort. “Pride in your work” and “Build to Last” was the goal of everybody who worked at a desk or picked up a pen, a shovel, a jackhammer, or fine precision tools. It was a time of craftsmanship.

It was not only New York, but every big city was coming of age in the 1950s. Along with his fountain pen, cigarette lighter, and handkerchief, the well dressed man carried a pen knife, which was also known as a “Gentleman Knife.”

They had some sweet stuff too

http://latama.net/latamaHome.html 

 I went to the Latama website and found the blades I had been wanting to see and get info. These are the classics for sure. I can see now the beauty and craftsmanship I was hoping to find .I'm hooked! Thanks for sharing, Jan.

Jan this is a neat web site.  Thanks for sharing.  I will contact them Monday and see what they are all about.  I love the classic knives.

Hey guys!  Glad you found that site as exciting as I did!

You betcha I did young lady.  I like it a lot.

SharperDeals.net is somewhat like eBay, but they only sell knives there. They have a listing fee and an end-of-auction fee, You can find out more about this company under Terms & Conditions, also check out their Fee Schedule.

   I've always been curious about why you rarely see inexpensive versions of swing guards. The only one that I have ever found was a very light weight but well made 9" model that was made in Korea. Also I have noticed when browsing on line suppliers of Italian made swing guards the availability is not very good, like maybe not as many are made?  Any input would be great.