THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

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button_man
Posts: 632
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm

THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

Post by button_man »

Does anyone have a knife from this series with the original chain and button-loop?

(I say "series" because the seller told me that these were made in several iterations;
for instance, an identical knife except that the words "five cents" are embossed into the handle.)

I just picked this up yesterday and would be interested to find out whether the hardware is original to the knife. Thanks!
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Jackalope
Posts: 878
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2004 3:13 am

Re: THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

Post by Jackalope »

Where is the button?
button_man
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm

Re: THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

Post by button_man »

The button is on your shirt -- !! This knife is a manual folder. The wide part of the button loop (at the end of the chain) goes over your shirt button, and then the loop is slid down so that the narrow part rests securely behind the button. The knife goes into your pants pocket. This prevents loss of the knife, back when boys ran around doing stuff outdoors instead of gaping at a video screen all day.
button_man
Posts: 632
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm

Re: THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

Post by button_man »

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"The A. W. Wadsworth & Son brand was a brand imported by A. Kastor & Bros, circa 1905 to 1936. Adolph Kastor, a 20-year-old immigrant from Germany formed A. Kastor & Company in 1876 to import quality cutlery items from Germany and England. The name was later changed to A. Kastor & Bros. As a result of the 1897 Dingley Tariff the prices of imported cutlery items went up so Mr. Kastor purchased a small cutlery company in Camillus New York, which became Camillus Cutlery Company. As tariffs wax and wane A. Kastor and brothers imported a lot of knives, probably most of them from Germany up until shortly before World War II when the Nazi government began nationalizing industries."

source: allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/16896-a-w-wadsworth-and-son-barlow

I believe that 'The Boys Favorite' was made during the earlier part of the time frame mentioned in the first sentence... probably between 1905 and the beginning of World War I.
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portlandmike
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Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:19 am
Location: Portland, OR

Re: THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

Post by portlandmike »

I’ve got a repro catalog with this ad ...
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button_man
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm

Re: THE BOYS FAVORITE (circa 1900)

Post by button_man »

Mike ~ Thanks for the picture! The chains are not exactly the same but they are pretty close. The length of my chain is just over 14" (counting the button loop). Possibly my chain (and knife also) were made less expensively than the outfit in your ad, so that a lower price could be offered. The stamped-steel handles on my knife, for instance, were probably cheaper to make than the attached scales shown in your ad. Thanks again for the input!
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