1950s Switchblades-Where Were They Bought?

[Wray1958]

If my history serves me correct switchblades, which would include picklocks & leverlocks were banned in NYC in 1954. The rest of the nation followed this in 1958. Aside from your local shady character where were these gems purchased? Were they sold in sporting goods stores, cutlery stores, hardware stores? Always wondered where you would go to back then to buy a Latama or a Coricama. Also I just ordered my first swinguard, when did they first appear?

[eastcoastsniper]

Nice post.... I'm looking forward to the responses

[fastr19]

All I can say is I was born in 1944. Never ever saw one on display in my life.

[dave]

for the most part, pawn shops and low end jewelry stores is where i remember seeing them as a child.

[natcherly]

They were also offered in cutlery stores. I remember seeing a two foot long stiletto sitting in the window of such a store on Market at Sutter in San Francisco. At its foot were spread many of the sizes and blade styles available inside. The display knife I later learned was a Coricama and worked just fine. When the 1958 law came in, the spread changed over to manuals, but the display knife still sported its button until one day the owner taped a piece of paper over it. Some disguise Still later he simply turned the knife around. The store closed in the 70's. I was not able to purchase the display knife, although I did ask once. I didn't buy any of the other switches either as I already had one switchblade, bought in Italy, and at that time I figured one for the pocket was enough.

[Viking45]

I read something a while back that some sporting goods store carried them. They really did not advertise so if you found one it was by just looking around the store.

Then there's the guy with the long overcoat that jingles when he walks. Wrist watches up his arm,silverware in one lining and steak knives and Latama's in the other.
(probably looked something like Redeye )

[redeye]

if it had been me i woulda been buying the latamas not selling

[Bill DeShivs]

Mail order was big in the Fifties.

[Bobby Cadillac]

I carried an Imperial bowtie or Hammer toothpick, both styles sold at the local pawnshop. This was in the sixth grade. (circa 1955) The knives were usually confiscated by my teacher. I wore Wranglers, engineer boots, and a horsehide motorcycle with many zippers. In spite of the confiscations I was never without a switchblade of some sort.

Italian knives were sold in arcades, surplus stores, mail order (Black Beauty) and in great Mafia owned stores on the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ. these were, depending on size a little to a lot more expensive than Imperials. In the 50s Italian made knives were the Cadillac. If I made a big score I often bought Italians, mostly Romo brand/

There was one store in particular, it was owned by a couple of guys who survived the concentration camps. It was called the Uptown Camera Shop. It was located in North Phila. This store was a street urchin's dream. They sold anything that could get a kid in trouble. Most of the stuff was imported from post war Germany. They had knives that carried knives.

From age 12 to when I went into the service I belonged to a couple of street gangs. There were only a few of us that carried knives. most of the guys preferred blackjacks (also a pawnshop item) or old .22 pistols stolen from grand-pops top drawer.

Anyway, I'm 68 years old and still a North Philadelphia juvenile delinquent

Bobby Cadillac

[Viking45]

Cool story Mr. Cadillac

[Vagrant]

It was common for smaller, American ones, to be sold at "tourist traps" with appropriate logos on the scales

[TRYKER]

i remember the card knives, shursnaps ect. being sold at hardware and drug stores. of course i was small town, neva saw a stilletto for sale back then


tryker

[Tom19176]

I tought NY started in 1957, but I was born in 1959, so I maybe wrong. My dad said they were in all hardware stores, and the tourist shops in the NYC itself. Hoffritz Cultery had many NYC stores and they had them all. Heck Woolworth on 34 street in NYC sold shotguns till 1990....

[Tom19176]

I copied this from Bernard Levine's post on Bladeforums and it seems that 1954 is correct,,,,


" It is not within the constitutional authority of the United
States to ban manufacture or possession of a class of item,
although the individual states have almost unlimited
authority to do so. What the federal government may do,
according to Article I, Section VIII, Clause 3 of the
Constitution, is "To regulate commerce with foreign nations,
and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes."
Using the authority of this "Interstate Commerce" clause,
Congress did the very next thing to banning switchblade
knives.

In 1958 only two American companies still made
switchblades: Imperial and Colonial. Both were then in
Providence, Rhode Island, and so telling them that they could
not make switchblades for sale in interstate commerce was
effectively the same as telling them not to make switchblades
at all.
Up until 1954, Schrade-Walden in upstate New York had been
the leading manufacturer of switchblades. That year the state
of New York had banned their manufacture and sale, so
Imperial, the parent company of Schrade-Walden, had taken
over the firm's switchblade production.
The George Schrade Knife Co. of Connecticut had also been a
major domestic supplier of switchblades. This firm was sold
to Boker of New Jersey in 1956 (George Schrade had died in
1940). However both New Jersey and Connecticut banned
switchblades shortly after New York had done so, and thus
only the two Providence firms were still in the switchblade
business in 1958. ? It is not within the constitutional authority of the United
States to ban manufacture or possession of a class of item,
although the individual states have almost unlimited
authority to do so. What the federal government may do,
according to Article I, Section VIII, Clause 3 of the
Constitution, is "To regulate commerce with foreign nations,
and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes."
Using the authority of this "Interstate Commerce" clause,
Congress did the very next thing to banning switchblade
knives.

[jim d,]

Tom,

I'll bet you could find Edwin Jay's at Hoffritz Cutlery, as the highly sought after stamp is derived from Edwin Jay Hoffritz.

Jim