Interesting Discovery

[WheelingWV]

I’ve been spending a great deal of time looking through threads here for the past couple of months and, thanks to all of you, I continue to learn. I came to realize that my most recent acquisition was a topic of discussion here back in March, 2017! (It was purportedly found in the wall behind a refrigerator of an old house.) The two threads are here:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24698

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24699

It’s cool to know some of the history (if true) behind this 65-70 yr-old blade. Aside from family heirlooms, I doubt that many vintage spring steel collectors know the history behind their knives. The blade appears to have been cleaned and polished at some point between 2017 and today, but that doesn’t bother me. The knife has a powerful snap, no peeking, a tight lockup, perfect blade centering within the liners (no wobble; unsharpened), and the original Brazilian horn scales are in great shape. I cropped the handle from an image in the first thread from 2017 (above) to compare it to my knife. The difference in coloration of the scale is due to lighting, I’m sure. (See photo below) ...Anyway, I found this interesting and thought I’d share.

Sorry for the long post. Hope you’re all staying safe... Mark

[WheelingWV]

Here’s the back side. Again, coloration difference is due to lighting differences when the two photos were taken. Gotta be the same knife.

[thom]

Looks the same to me.

[WheelingWV]

Yessir, Thom, HAS to be the infamous “found behind the wall” knife.

[john]

It does look like the same knife. Can the previous owner help you out confirming that it is the same knife? In any event it’s a wicked cool knife, a really nice vintage for your collection. Can you photograph the knife open and is there a stamp on it?

[WheelingWV]

I’ll post pics of the two blades in just a few minutes, John. Thanks for looking and for your kind words, Sir.

[WheelingWV]

Here are the stamps... same exact wear on both blades... (pics of blades coming soon)

[WheelingWV]

Here are the blades, John. Obvious work (cleaning) performed to remove a bit of rust, and then polishing. (Doesn’t bother me a bit)... Thanks for looking!

[JulesVane]

Surely the same knife, and a great one! Really interesting story about finding such a treasure too!

[WheelingWV]

Thank you, JV. I my have over-paid, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?

[WheelingWV]

$2,350 is what I paid for this piece of history.

That last sentence should make you all feel better about the potential value of your collections.

OK, I’m ready for my “beating.”

Two sayings:

“Value is what someone is willing to pay”

and

“There’s a sucker born every minute”

Cheers, Brothers and Sisters.

(I like to think I’m somewhere in between)

[sammy the blade]

It's your money, buy what you want with it and you have something to show for it! It's not like you have to feed it and it's always going to be an asset. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[WheelingWV]

Thank you, SammyTheBlade, for rationalizing my current obsession.

[john]

Hi WWV,
I just looked at the two links you posted. I read the two posts. I remember them, thanks for bringing them back to life. You really have a fine piece of Italian vintage cutlery.
John

[jim d,]

A 13 inch Latama in that condition is a highly desirable knife here in the collector community. Great acquisition with a great story and thanks for sharing.

Jim