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Creepy or Cool?
A look at my G.C. Co. (Gutmann Cultery) Fixed Blade Hunter.
I’m really not sure if these were just novelties or if people actually used them. I’m also not sure if it is cool or creepy. Either way, when I came across one in really good shape for a reasonably low price, I decided I had to have it.
The advertisement of the day had them priced fairly low so I assume they were novelty items or knives bought by young boys. This may also explain why so many of them are in rough shape these days. The Advertisement has knives similar to this one going for $1.35 back in the 1950s. Today people are asking for $50-$100 on eBay. However when I see them starting with a low bid, they tend to sell between $25-$60 depending on the condition.
In most cases there is significant damage to the deer hoof with most of the fur worn away. Blades are also well worn. Many are sold without a sheath. I think mine is in excellent condition considering the age. I’m guessing the original owner really didn’t do much with it expect store it improperly.
The knife is well made. All of the parts are well secured with no wobble. The brass S guard is tight and snug as is the nickel silver furring band that attaches the hood to the tang. The rat tail tang is also deeply inserted into the hoof.
I’m not sure how the hoof was stabilized by I’m guessing the taxidermist did a good job as there seems to be no decay in the handle and it is now at least 50 years old! The cloven hoof and the hocks are quite secure as well. There is one spot where the fur has been matted because of long time storage in the sheath. The blade is also discolored from storage.
The 5 inch blade is about 1/8 inch thick with a nice deep fuller. As mentioned it has some staining but does not appear to have been sharpened. Despite this it has a decent edge. (BTW the over all length is a tad over 11 inches.
The sheath is pretty decent for its age. The leather isn’t cracked and remains soft and supple. It is nicely riveted and has a nice brass tip guard. The leather retaining strap is also free of cracks and the snap works great. The sheath also has some nice embossing.
The Knife has the tang stamp G.C. Co Solingen Germany on the reverse and 465 on the obverse. The sheath is stamped Made in Germany between the holes for the belt loop.
G.C. CO is a common marking for Gutmann Cutlery, of Mount Vernon New York. They were a knife distributor/importer that started in 1947. They really hit if big around 1957 when Kurt Gutmann became the sole distributor of Puma knives for the US market.
The other knife in the Picture is a small Boker Tree Brand equal end pen knife.
Okay so you tell me, Creepy, Cool or Both? Or would you rather keep your opinion to yourself.
As for my "reasonable price?" I got it for $25.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ricky L McConnell on
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Looks kind of creepy to me.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on
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I say cool....after all I carried a Rabbits foot my entire childhood.
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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on
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ODK, perhaps a little of both?
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Yeah, I never thought of it that way Steve, I also used to carry a rabbits foot.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Archer on
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may have a cool factor for someone else. But i think its creepy.
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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on
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Just an observation but it would appear that the folks in the group are leaning toward creepy yet the folks on Facebook are lining up on the "cool" side. I'm in the "Creepy cool --this'll piss off PETA camp!"
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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on
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I am going with Brad , a good mix of both. Hogs rabbits foot is the perfect analagy
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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on -
I will just say unusual. It really isn't creepy or cool to me. Now my Lefty knife is cool!
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Permalink Reply by Jerryd6818 on
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I remember those things from back in the 1950s. Never cared much for them. To each his own.
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Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on
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They are waaaaayyyy cool.
Yes, they were used and extensively but primarily in the Germanic countries.
You'd see the knife (jagdnicker) stuffed into knee high socks (trachen) with shorts (lederhosen) by the hunter (jagermeister) and were made of chamois, goat, fallow deer and even wild boar hooves but they have fallen out of favour in recent decades. Although, you can get new ones from the likes of Boker, Puma and other Euro makers like Lion and Fox.
Aceros de Hispania, (http://www.aceros-de-hispania.com/gb/default.htm) the huge Spanish retailer, used to have a section devoted just for them.
I had a Swiss one that had a couple of days old calf's hoof mounted with a silver bolster and about a 3" blade in an ornate leather sheath--leaves and vines stamped on it that got destroyed in the house fire 10 years ago. I had traded an aluminium folding fishing knife for it. I've never replaced it but my Euro kleine messer (small or sock knives) all have antler or wood handles.
It would now be worth all of $40 maybe $50. I've seen at some knife shows that some were going for hundreds of dollars on collector's tables but why I don't know.
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Permalink Reply by Jim Fellner on
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That is cool in my book !!!!!!
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