“You are never done learning because life never stops teaching.”  This has been especially true for me while running this website.  Over the years I have met a lot of great people and have acquired knives I was unfamiliar with along the way.  This week I purchased a collection that had many Ontario Knife Co knives.  This was a brand I had seen over the years but had never taken the time to learn about.  Here is what I found…   Ontario Knife Company goes way back but the details of its early existence are kind of murky.  The company was founded in Naples, NY ..read more

There are two pocket knives that are very popular among collectors that look similar at first glance …the stockman (or premium stock) and the cattle knife.  The stockman and cattle knife are often confused for each other as they have some similar characteristics and uses. In this blog entry I wanted to point out the differences between these two patterns so you can easily differentiate between the two. Stockman vs. Cattle Knife Premium Stock (Stockman)  Manufacturer:  Western States Year Made:  c.1911-1956 Handle Material:  Genuine Stag Blades:  Clip (master ..read more

This article may contain affiliate links. 8/9/21 UPDATE:  We have a winner!  Luke from NC has won the prize below.  Thank you to all who entered!  Below is the original post (contest is over now). As a thank you to those who have been checking out my website and to those who are just now discovering it, I wanted to do another giveaway.  The winner of this contest will receive all four items below: Case XX 6225 1/2 knife with box (from 2000) $50 eBay gift card Small can of Renaissance Wax for preserving your knives Sunshine Cloth for polishing cleaning blades and ..read more

After collecting old knives for a while, you start to recognize the maker of the pocket knife just by looking at those bone handles.  Some have distinctive jigging patterns while other times the color gives it away. Take the following quiz and test your knowledge on bone handled knives. 32 Created on June 18, 2021 Bone Quiz 1 / 8 Based on the bone handles, who made the knife pictured below?   Camillus Cut Co Schrade Cut Co Robeson Cut Co Case 2 / 8 Based on the handles, who made the following knives?     Case XX Remington Camillus Robeson 3 / 8 Base ..read more

This list contains affiliate links.  Thank you for taking a look at these knives! When it comes to traditional pocket knives, there is a list of five to ten that everyone should own.  Whether they are everyday users or knives that will be added to the collection, make sure to check the following off of your shopping list: 1. Case Russlock This Case exclusive pattern was introduced in 2000. The knife’s namesake is “Russ” Case, who founded the W.R. Case company.  The Russlock pattern features a liner lock mechanism, along with a ‘tail’ at the base of the blade for convenient one-h ..read more

People send me pictures of knives quite often, wanting to know more about them.  Some have been passed down from a loved one and others are vintage knife collectors looking for more information.  Most of the time I can give some backstory to the knives.  However, there are times when I can only provide a bit of information while others stump me completely.  Sometimes, the knives are just too cool not to share with you!  Take a look and feel free to leave comments if you have additional info!  The owners of these knives would appreciate it!  – Jesse A gentlem ..read more

This post contains affiliate links; if something is purchased I receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Being a history buff, I am very much interested in knowing the age of each pocket knife in my collection.  While some knives are fairly easy to determine an exact age, others are more challenging and only rough time frame (plus or minus 15 years) can be established.   Knowing the age of a knife gives insight such as the time period it came from (Civil War, Great Depression, etc.), who may have used it and what it may have “lived through.”  There are many characteris ..read more

You know, it’s the thing that you use to pry open the blade on a pocket knife!  Depending on the stubbornness of the blade, using a pull depends on having a present and strong thumb nail.  As a pocket knife collector, there have probably been days when when your thumb nail has had enough and you need time to rest it up and grow it back! Pulls are a necessary characteristic of non auto opening pocket knives and are an interesting part of the traditional pocket knife aesthetic.  They come in many varieties:  nail nick, long pull, match striker pull.  There is even a doub ..read more

  “Where it all began” is the title of this post for two reasons.  For one, John Brown Francis (JBF) Champlin would give the Case family the experience to pursue their own paths in the knife industry.  After contracting knives to be made with his own brand from 1882-86, he began the Cattaraugus Cutlery Co. and brought on bother-in-laws W.R, Jean and John Case.  The Case brothers, who would leave Cattaraugus soon after, would go on to manufacture some of the greatest and eventually the most collectible pocket knives ever made.  This JBF Champlin knife represents the tru ..read more

I wanted to document the giveaways for the Grand Opening of oldpocketknives.com by creating this post.  Through Facebook and other websites, I was able to get the word out and many of you submitted your name for the drawing.  I even made an embarrassing prize drawing video that I will only post if I get enough people asking for it!  The prizes have already been sent and I hope these folks enjoy their prizes.  I enjoyed interacting with you out there across the country and I have many more ideas for this site in the future!  Here is the original post: Grand Opening Giv ..read more