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  #1  
Old 06-14-2017, 06:29 AM
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samg samg is offline
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Randall 1937-39 knife

Here is one you just don't see everyday!
Originally posted by Joe Dorsky on another forum.




"It was originally an unmarked blade, thereby putting in in the 1937-39 timeframe. I tend to think this knife is from the close to the beginning based on the the hilt and ricasso "gap" at the top of the blade, far different that what we would see shortly, and somewhat crude. Obviously though when he had started with the fancy spacers.

It was logo etched with Bo and Gary's approval by Pete Hamilton at the shop in 1979. That knife came home to roost and was donated to the museum last year. So take a good look at it, one of the earliest RMK's you will ever see.

"The owner did not want to leave it to relatives who had no idea what it was and meant to him..."




This one reminds me of one specifically pictured in Gaddis' book page 38.



Notice the 2 above early knives how the top spine dips down in front of the hilt to form a narrower tang. On following knives this dip disappears.

Regards, Sam


Last edited by samg; 06-14-2017 at 07:36 AM.
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Old 06-14-2017, 12:00 PM
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Jacknola Jacknola is offline
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When Joe first posted that knife with the single picture, no explanation, I e-mailed Ron my thoughts. My opinion was dominated by the etched trademark. Absent that I probably would not have had an opinion. Note: I've probably spent more time looking at RMK trademarks on the blades than most people, though mostly the Vietnam era. Blade stamps are one of the first things I look at.

My original comment:

"Joe posted a knife "older hunter." My comments: The stamp appears to be etched which wasn't used until 1963. The handle is just jammed on, no solder, doesn't even fit well. The knife blade is probably a counterfeit fake. Handle is from god knows where. Probably not a true RMK."

Well... after the fact it was revealed that the trademark was etched later. Not fair.. but it does point out that knives can be tricked out and have features added or subtracted, or posed with fake props, put in different sheaths with misleading symbols, dates, or whatever added, etc. I do think that there is a lot that can be learned by extending the "blade stamp logo" study I did on the Vietnam era back to the beginning. I would suspect there is a forensic difference in the first stamps that could be identified, just as there is for the ones used during Vietnam.

I understand the need, but I'm conflicted about the wisdom of adding the etched trade mark to this knife. I hope there is a signed letter from the shop that will accompany it in the future.

Second curious question is ... where did this knife come from, and what is its history? I would have thought this knife would already have been pretty widely discussed by the early RMK collectors. Perhaps I missed that though...

Last edited by Jacknola; 06-14-2017 at 12:25 PM.
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Old 06-14-2017, 12:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacknola View Post
The handle is just jammed on, no solder, doesn't even fit well. The knife blade is probably a counterfeit fake. Handle is from god knows where. Probably not a true RMK.
Jack, I'm not sure what you see in the photo of that knife. The knife looks good to me, and I think, on washing out the photo and enlarging, that it is soldered. It looks very much like the one in Gaddis' book.







You asked where it came from, it's history. Joe explained:

That knife came home to roost and was donated to the museum last year. So take a good look at it, one of the earliest RMK's you will ever see.

"The owner did not want to leave it to relatives who had no idea what it was and meant to him.

Thanks, Sam

Last edited by samg; 06-14-2017 at 12:39 PM.
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Old 06-14-2017, 03:21 PM
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Jacknola Jacknola is offline
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Sam, not saying it isn't good, on the contrary. You are writing now with current knowledge, post-explanation. My original comment included impressions about features I had never seen before. The main feature that made it appear the handle was just jammed on was the "choll" on the spine side of the blade. At a glance that feature made the knife to appear to be a badly finished blade that didn't "square up" with the hilt.

Then, when you add in the etched logo which was obviously not 1930s, 40s, or 50s, one could reasonably conclude this was a counterfeit construct...as I opined. if the knife hadn't had an etched trademark, I would not have had an opinion and would not have commented.

The reason I posted my erroneous first-impression is that there are lessons to be learned when you are right, and when you are wrong. I am not afraid to be wrong, so I shared this here.

Last edited by Jacknola; 06-14-2017 at 10:16 PM.
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Old 06-14-2017, 03:30 PM
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Gotta say though, to etch the logo when it wasn't original...it was 1979 at the time, so different day and outlook on collecting, but it makes me cringe knowing that it was etched 40 years later. Sacrilege! Just kidding...or am I?
Thanks Jack.
Sam
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2017, back, bee, beginning, blade, blades, book, collecting, etch, etched, handle, home, hunter, knife, knife blade, knives, post, randall, sheaths, shop, solder, spacers, stamps, tang


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