The News from ElephantToenails.com

In our recent ET.com survey it was interesting for me to see a the majority of you indicated the topics of The News were just right- not too basic and not too advanced, however a handful of you indicated a desire for some “meaty” topics. Well you know advance level courses in college (graduate and doctoral level courses) don’t always give you answers as much as teaching you to THINK.

So, with that here we go and, while I don’t profess to be a doctor of toenails, I thought I’d let you into my world……hang on tight and DON’T JUST SKIM.

Let’s begin by asking: “Do you ever wonder which knife company invented the toenail?” I do all the time. I have been running this rabbit for years now and have declared this to be my quest.

So, in order to get warmed up let’s consider a list produced by Bernard Levine of the firms making knives by 1898 (he calls them the leading firms. I need to ask him to define that term but for now let’s not read too much into it).

LEADING U.S. MANUFACTURERS of POCKETKNIVES in 1896- 1898

American Knife Co., Thomaston CT
American Shear & Knife Co., Hotchkissville CT
A. F. Bannister & Co., Newark NJ
Booth Bros., Stockholm NJ
Aaron Burkinshaw’s Sons, Pepperell MA
Canton Cutlery Co., Canton OH
Cattaraugus Cutlery Co., Little Valley NY
Challenge Cutlery Co. (Wiebusch & Hilger), Bridgeport CT
Electric Cutlery Co. (Friedmann & Lauterjung), Newark NJ
Empire Knife Co., West Winsted CT
Griffon Cutlery Works (A. L. Silberstein & Co.), Bridgeport CT
Holley Mfg. Co., Lakeville CT
Humason & Beckley Mfg. Co. (H. & B.), New Britain CT
Miller Bros. Cutlery Co., Meriden CT
New York Knife Co. (Hammer Brand), Walden NY
Northfield Knife Co. (UN-X-LD), Northfield CT
Novelty Cutlery Co. (Canton Knife Co.), Canton OH
Phoenix Knife Co., Phoenix NY
C. Platts & Sons, Eldred PA
Robeson Cutlery Co., Rochester & Perry NY
J. Russell & Co., Turners Falls MA
Schatt & Morgan (S. & M.), Titusville PA
Charles Sherwood, Camillus NY
Southington Cutlery Co., Southington CT
Thomaston Knife Co., Thomaston CT
Tidioute Cutlery Co., Tidioute PA
Ulster Knife Co. (Dwight Divine & Sons), Ellenville NY
Valley Forge Cutlery Co. Newark NJ
Walden Knife Co. (Press Button Knife Co.), Walden NY
Waterville Mfg. Co., Waterbury CT

* these firms produced toenails at some point

Wait A Minute: Doesn’t this mean then that it is likely one of these firms made the first toenail?

Well, we know we also have documented a Case Brothers 1904 catalog with both types of “standard” toenails (the ‘50 & ‘51 pattern). This document is the earliest evidence of a knife company to have made toenails. I am going to speculate they were making them before that date actually, but is it one year earlier or two years, that I don’t know and am hesitate to guess, but it is safe to say they were making them before they printed their catalog.

We also know John Chatillon ran its ad in 1902 in Hardware Magazine (we don’t know if they made its toenails or contracted them though), but still there is a tidbit to chew on. I would again guess that knife was made already for them to have run an ad with a toenail pictured in it, wouldn’t you agree?

Note: Neither of these firms are listed on Levine’s list though….

Now Let’ go a little deeper-

As you probably know, most laypeople attribute the invention of the toenail to Case Brothers, but after doing my best, I’m not totally sure how they arrived at that conclusion. BUT, while I don’t know for sure, that claim could be the result of this ad Case Brothers ran in Hardware Magazine (c. 1900- 1910)

This ad is killer! If you have yet to see it you will agree. It is my all time favorite piece of cutlery memorabilia! It has it all: Case Brothers, toenails, and aggressive hard-hitting cutlery advertising.

If you read it closely, you will see they are saying this design is their original design. Folks, they are claiming here in black and white to have invented this design. So let’s pause and think here for a moment….They state “Our original design, as here illustrated, is widely copied by the monkey-faced competitors who can not think for themselves….” Don’t you just love that… “monkey-faced competitors” LOL, sorry I digressed.

“Our original design”….what does this mean? I have thought about this for years, literally, trying to figure it out. At face value it would seem they are claiming to have invented, what you and I call, the STANDARD STYLE TOENAIL! Obviously, at the time the ad ran (probably after 1905, maybe 1907, because in the ad they reference their designs and improvements over the past 7 years, so I figure it to around then anyway.) the monkey-faced competitors were also making it. If we can interpret it this way, then 1) Case invented it and 2) multiple firms were producing it.

So could it be Platts invented the JUMBO and then Case “re-designed” it into their “original design” and what we call the standard style toenail. To me this is what mining for toenail nuggets is all about! It simply doesn’t get any better than this!

I just don’t see Case making this bold face claim to have invented it if they really didn’t knowing there were other knife companies producing this same style at the same time (well if you have ever read the history of these brothers, it is reasonable that they would in fact made this claim knowing it wasn’t true Make sure you read The Case Cutlery Dynasty by Brad Lockwood, if you haven’t. It is a page turner of a book….seriously. You can get a copy online at Knife World. They were, I hate to say cause I really like Case Brothers, liars and cheats.

OK, you say, that settles it, so the world is in order and let’s go eat, right?

Hold on there- not so fast…..

All the researchers tell us Case Brothers started making knives in 1900, right? Save me some energy here by not citing those references. If we need to come back to this later then we will, but let’s accept this a as given for now.

Let me share something I think will cause your head to swim a little bit as we dig a little deeper. BUT, don’t be too quick to dismiss it as a fake simply to bring the world back to order, OK? Here you go……

Do you know what this is? It is the end of a knife box I own. It is a Case Brothers from Gowanda, NY. Goin’s has Case Brothers in Gowanda during the years of 1896- 1897.

Let’s look at it a little closer. Do you see the No. It is a reference to a pattern number ( I know for a fact CB used pattern numbers at this time) and it is a TOENAIL pattern number of the pearl toenail- the 8250! You say, “Come on Scott, some guy knew you were a sucker and 1) made this box up to sucker you, or 2) took the original box and hand wrote the toenail pattern number on it to sucker you”.

Maybe, either, but here is what I know. When I was first offered this box, you know me well enough to know I tend to be fairly skeptical. I immediately started contacting everyone I knew from Shirley at WRCase (their historian) to “Case experts,” on and one. Not one person said they thought the information was wrong based on facts known about Case and their history, and they did attest the box appeared authentic.

THEN YOU SAY…..

“So, Case must have actually invented the toenail earlier than 1900- the commonly accepted date they started manufacturing knives. Right??”

Well, I don’t know about that.

If they first started manufacturing knives when they opened their first plant in Little Valley in 1900 (the oldest billhead I have seen has Little Valley as the address dated 9.14.1898), then what? Well all accounts are they were only jobbers til they opened their plant. Jobbers sold knives made on contract for their firm or sold knives of other firms, but not their own.

Guess what- All accounts (Brad’s Book, Giles Book, etc) have during these early years Case Brothers selling…..(hold on for this one)….C. Platts’ knives……wheels within wheels. Knives marked “Case Brothers & C0. Gowanda, NY” and they are believed to have been made for them by Platts. In 1896 Platts started in Gowanda before they moved to Eldred, PA..

BEFORE YOU ASK, THE ANSWER IS “YES”

I can hear your wheels turning, so before you ask, the answer is “YES.” Yes, Platts did make a standard style toenail, but before we just wrap up and say, Platts invented BOTH styles, and Case Brothers just claimed to invent the standard style consider this: The only examples I know of today of the Platts standard style toenail are stamped Platts Brothers Eldred and then later Andover. See photo: A Platts Brother, Eldred, PA and a Platts Brothers, Andover, NY. toenail and a pic of their factory.

We understand from all account, however, they were made after the brothers sold the C. Platts firm and H. N. went to WRC in 1905. It was then, by all accounts, the other brothers started Platts Brothers c. 1906- 1911.

Here is one of the thing I ran into while double checking my dates and facts for this article- Goins has Platts Brothers Eldred starting c. 1900- 1905 which boggles my mind, so I have emailed David Pierce, author of two fantastic articles for Knife World on the Platts family’s cutlery history to see what he might know about this. I’ll let you know what I find out. I will tell you this though- David told me a few years ago he believes the Platts Brothers, Eldred, PA knives were made by a company started by the brothers after H. N. went to WRC called Eldred Cutlery Co., Eldred, Pa.

SO, WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE US?

Assuming, for now anyway, there was a toenail made that Case Brothers jobbed (even though that conflicts with their apparent claim to it being their “original design,” if we interpreted their claim correctly), then some other firm must have made it for them to be able to sell it. Right? Then, assuming what we understand is true, and that Platts didn’t make the standard toenail til after their firm was sold to WRCase in 1905, then who the heck made it for CB to sell it?

Well, let me ask you this- “Where did the Case Brothers come from and still have family ties to before they started their jobbing business?” It is the same firm, that around 1891 H. N. Platts went to work for. It was Cattaraugus Cutlery Co. Could it have been that the brothers also jobbed Catt knives, and possibly their toenail?

I realize this narrow assumptive conclusion does not prove anything. I will admit I am not satisfied and refuse to conclude from this that Cattaraugus “invented” the standard style toenail. We have nothing to base this upon. However, we do know Catt started manufacturing knives well before either the CB or Platts did and that Catt made toenails at some point, but some of the other old firms did too (see list above), including another one of my favorites- the New York Knife Company. Also, note Napanoch started in c. 1900 and made toenails for WR Case & Son (1903).

How about this twist: Wouldn’t it be interesting if while we are focused on the Platts, CB, and Catt firms a totally less known firm actually started making them and Case Brothers just started promoting them as their “original design?” Try this own for size: Remember the Chatillon firm with the ad for toenails that ran in 1902? Did you know Chatillon (founded c. 1837) bought the Phoenix Knife Company in 1896? Do you remember them? They are on Levine’s list and made toenails too. Interesting to say the least, wouldn’t you say?

Welcome to my World

……..I’m out of here. I’ve had enough fun for today.

Sources: The Forgotten Cutleries of Eldred by C. David Pierce, Knife World May 2005; The Platts Cutlers in Andover by C. David Pierce, Knife World July 2003; Goins’ Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings by John & Charlotte Goins; The Case Cutlery Dynasty by Brad Lockwood; Case: The First 100 Years by James Giles; The Knife Makers Who Went West by Harvey Platts.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 6:27 am and is filed under Toenail Q & A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.