History of Platts Cutlery Companies
When I was writing the article on Welcome to My World I contacted David Anthony to inquire about their Gowanda, NY factory years of operation. I ran on some conflicting info in different knife books.
My purpose here is to provide correct dates for us as we go forward in our research, not to prove any other book or author wrong.
David has authored several articles on the Platts family and their history in cutlery. He is viewed as The Authority on anything Platts related.
Here is what David had to say (I inserted the pictures)-
Scott,I’ll be happy to tell you anything about the Platts family cutlers that I can.
C. Platts & Sons, Eldred, PA 1897-1900
C. Platts’ Sons, Eldred, PA, 1900-1905
Platts Bros. Eldred, PA 1905-1907:
These knives were not actually manufactured by the Platts Bros. but were contract or “private brand” knives almost certainly made by the Eldred Cutlery Co. but bearing the Platts Bros. Eldred, PA stamp. There is absolutely no evidence that any knives stamped Platts Bros. were made
Platts Bros. Andover, NY 1907-1910
Platts Bros. Union, NY 1910-1911
Hope this helps. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. It was a pleasure to hear from you.
Best Regards,
Dave Pierce
April 19th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Mr. Anthony indicates Platts Bros. were jobbers and didn`t manufacture knives. I`m not going to question him on that. I don`t know, but have you seen any other toenails other than Platts made jumbos and your bottom example of Platts Bros. where the long pull didn`t stop at the tang and went out the end of the blade? I haven`t. I have seen Platt Bros. made both ways like you have shown.
I find that odd. What do you think?
April 19th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Sorry, Roger, but I guess I stayed up too late last night and having a hard time thinking clearly this morn, what do you mean?
April 19th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Take a look at the pulls, have you seen a long pull made that way on any other manufacturers knife? The bottom knife shown is an Andover and not an Eldred?
April 19th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Yes, the bottom knife is the Andover. I’ll need to “look ’round” on this and report back.
I did find this of interest, however, In David’s article dated July 2003 in KW titled “The Platts Cutlerys in Andover” he writes that they did in fact make knives in that plant. So, I don’t think he meant PB never made knives because he said they did in this article. I think he was referring to the “Eldred” knives, possibly.
On the front cover picture he used for his Andover article, three Andover PB are shown and not a single on of them has the long pull running through the tang, fyi.
April 19th, 2008 at 11:34 am
That type pull appears to be unique to Platts. I don`t know if other Platt patterns have that feature or just toenails. That Platts made knives in Andover makes sense to me judging on the pull, if they were the only ones that made them that way. Design seems to have changed after Clay Jordan purchased the Co. Both examples I have of them have a single nail nick.