The News from ElephantToenails.com

Deciding Your Collection’s Direction or Theme

So you have decided you want to purchase a toenail and are trying to decide which one to get. This is a common situation and I am frequently contacted for suggestions. There are several factors you must consider at this point before you jump right in.

Buy the Knives You Like

First, I would encourage you to buy what you like. Do you like new shinny ones or the older varieties that are showing their age? Different strokes for different folks- there is no right or wrong. Again it is what you like. The issue of your likes and do other collectors like your likes only really comes into play when you go to sale the collection. Also, you can take comfort in the fact that the toenail pattern is a popular pattern and unless you only buy JUNK toenails or an entire collection of plastic or celluloid handled toenails, folks will want to buy the knives when you do decide to sale.

See The Possibilities- Go To The List

The first place I would go is The List here at ElephantToenails.com. You will find many different makes and variations, plus there are actually different style toenails too. I don’t want to get too deep into all the specifics at this point and will stay somewhat general to begin with here, but when you go to The List you will see the different drop down menus for most of the different variations manufactured, like maker, style, handle material, color, etc.

Then I recommend you think about this- If you were to want to purchase additional toenails as you go, it is important to consider what I am going to call the direction or theme of your collection. Again keep in mind you are going to be buying what you like, so as you look through The List are there any factors that appeal to you the more. It is OK to begin with to have a hodge-podge of unrelated toenails.

Giving a little thought to the direction of a collection is healthy and will save you headaches and money in the long run.

Your budget is going to come into play immediately, and while it will probably grow as you get into toenails more and begin to appreciate other toenails (either make, handle materials, era, etc).

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We toenail collectors have all had it. Most of us still have it. You know it is contagious too. The funny thing is the majority of us don’t really want to get rid of it once we catch it.

What the heck am I talking about…The Itch, of course.

Got a email from another new collector yesterday and he confessed…he caught The Itch.  Here’s what he had to say-

Hi Scott,
I am just starting to get the “itch” on these knives. The more I find out the more I want to start collecting them. Can you direct me to some reputable areas to look and perhaps purchase – I don’t like the thought of getting a “fake”. That picture of you with your collection is really something.
Thanks in advance,
Jeff

I provided Jeff with a little direction and I think he will be fine now. What I didn’t tell him was once you get it you never really get rid of it.

As a followup to my editorial- I am Angry a few issues need further addressed and clarified in light of some of the comments I have received. Thanks for taking an interest and sharing your thoughts with me.

1. I am fine with criticism. Moreover, as long as it is rendered in gentlemanly (or womanly, as the case may be) fashion, you are free to express your thoughts.

2. It seems as if my comments were incorrectly construed to have been defending sham artists (crooks, fakers, and folks who intentionally deceive others) as a result of a link posted on BladeForums.com and that topic’s context.

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I've Got a Beef!

I am angry and I don’t get this angry very often. Without getting into many specifics, allow me to share my observations with you.

Knife collecting will only continue to exist as an industry when folks spending their hard-earned money in good faith believe the knives they buy are authentic. At the point these folks’ confidence in the knife they are buying is shattered then the whole knife collecting hobby/ industry will crash.

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 As I shared with you in my last post- you know the one about the many branches of the tree trunk, my interest in bringing knife news and interesting tidbits to knife collectors has branched out. I have published a new weblog called Cutlery News Journal. 

You guys have supported me greatly here at The News and I appreciate the encouragement expressed to me in this effort. One thing I have learned during that time is while I have a tremendous interest in all things related to elephant toenails, I have experienced a growing interest in knives and cutlery history on a broader scale.

The Cutlery News Journal will provide me an avenue to share with all collectors, of all types of knives, news relating to all of knife collecting. You know I have worked very hard to keep The News as toenail specific as possible. I have intentionally passed up on other topics in an effort to stay true to my original goal here at The News. 

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Have you found that collecting old pocketknives (in our case, Toenails) leads to collecting other “things” too? To me it is like a tree that branches out in different directions and yet each branch has the same trunk.

I don’t know all the branches you have taken, but for me have to fight to stay focused. You know, however, I find it fun to discover all things related to old knives, like billheads, boxes, knife rolls, photos, postcards, receipts, time cards, letters, etc.

Well a friend of mine hit me with a different type item the other day, and of course, I liked it.

You know I am working on research related to late 1800’s to very early 1900s cutlery salesmen. And while this piece isn’t that old, it directly relates.

Early knife salesmen were called, among other things, Knights of the Grip- and in case you have ever wanted to see an authentic grip-here you go. It is a Union Cutlery Company, Olean, NY Salesman’s case.

Talk about life and times, this sales- man’s bag puts you right there on the street with that salesman going from merchant to merchant.

Size is about 7-1/2″ x 18-1/2″, and about 14-1/2-15″ tall.

If you have anything related to early hardware co. or cutlery co. salesmen, please let me know.

Our life is filled with a deluge of thoughts and image impressions. Our memories are, to put it in computer terms, are like a folder on our hard drive. All day, every day, our internal video camera is recording everything our 5 senses are encountering. Think of the shear amount of data our brains filter on a daily basis. Most studies conclude the brain retains this information for your entire lifetime.

Well, while it is interesting to ponder all that I’m just a knife guy who can’t seem to “call up” my kid’s cell phone numbers, so trying to remember what I got for my birthday when I was 10 years old is fruitless.

BUT some things I can remember easily and as if it was just yesterday.

And the day I saw my first toenail is one of those instant recall memories. I’ll never forget it; that knife just jumped out and grabbed me.  It was so different from any of the knives I was familiar. It was so different, unusual, peculiar, and cool, that I knew right then and there I had to find me one!

Long story short- I was “studying” Levine’s Guide to Knives and Their Values 4th edition and when I flipped to the page- those ET’s just reached up and grabbed me ’round my neck.

Here is exactly what I saw

To be honest, it was the C Platts that stood out to me the most.

You gotta love that knife. I mean look at that master blade. It is huge.

I lusted over it for some time (before I turned the page). I was disappointed to see Levine say these knives were popular and expensive. I concluded they were going to be hard to find and really doubted if I would ever actually own one.

So, do you remember your first time?

As an aside, forget the value he had on it at the time (The jumbo had $675 and the pearl MSA at $1200). I’m guessing the book was published close to 25 years ago. That knife today is worth going on… Well that exact knife is owned by the Platts family and is worth probably $10,000 to $15,000! The pedigree of that knife being in the founders family for all these years is what knocks that price out of the park.

I know of two cleaned excellent condition W R Case swellcenters sold a few months ago for $4500 a piece. I know of another one in Near Mint condition offered for a tad under $6000.

Did you know that in 1877 several of the early American Cutlery Companies joined forces to auction a large amount of cutlery?

The auction was held in New York City on February 14th, 1877 and consisted of 800 lots. There was a very large attendance, including representatives of the leading houses in Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago, Baltimore and even San Francisco.

Listed as participating in the auction was Beaver Falls Cutlery Company, Landers, Frary & Clark, John Russell Cutlery Company, Meriden Cutlery Company, Chicago Cutlery Manufacturing Company and Lamson & Goodnow Manufacturing Company.

The New York Times reported on that date that the auction prices “were extremely satisfactory, being up to current market rates” and there was discussion of making the joint auction a permanent thing. It did go on to say the auction would continue the next day.

The article goes on to say, “The companies, although they have succeeded in driving most of the English manufacturers out of the market, have met a serious obstacle of late in the establishment of cutlery manufacturing companies in the West. They thereby lost a considerable proportion of their trade. This fact, and the general depression of trade, have left on their hands a large overstock of goods they wished to get rid of.”

I admit I pretty much do the lazy man’s mining. Smart folks know sometimes you aren’t going to find jewels on top of the ground, so you must “turn some stones” or move some dirt (in other words, you’ve got to dig).

Here is you a toenail on eBay that requires some digging. It was under the heading: “Antique 2-Blade Folding Pocket Knife.” As you will read below the seller discovered the brand and pattern with the help of ET.com. It is a Union Cut. Co (could be a Union Razor) and doesn’t have a reference to the pattern or brand. If you are interested check it out.

Here is his email:

“Hi Scott;  After looking on your website, www.elephanttoenails.com, I think I have identified an old knife that I am currently selling on Ebay [Item#130245439886] as a “UNION etc—-” Sunfish or Elephant Toenail knife. Other than the ON— on the blades that is legible [which I think is the last 2 letters of UNION], I can’t make out anything else, but the pictures on that website of the UNION 4-1/4″ knives with the light brown handles are almost exactly what this knife looks like. This knife and the others that I’m selling on Ebay have been in a plastic bag in my gun case for probably 15-20 years and I just found them again. Funny. Dave”

The description reads: “Part of my deceased Father’s collection is this vintage folding pocket knife with brown bone handles. The blades have been sharpened numerous times, but the knife is in very good condition and works perfectly. It has some lettering on the base of both blades, but it is so old and used that it is not legible [something like NO_ _ _?]. There may also be some numbers, but I can’t make them out. Thank you for looking and bidding.”

GOOD NEWS FOR COLLECTORS!

This auction just confirms what we here at ET.com talk about all the time- there are tons of toenails out there folks have that aren’t officially in circulation. This is a son’s efforts to sale some of his father’s items. The good news too is the son recognized the father’s knives as a collection and didn’t just toss them out.

Got an update from our friend and custom old knife maker, Mr. Jeff Claiborne recently providing us with additional behind the scenes of the knife getting real close to being finished.

He’s what he had to say about the later stage the knife is in:

“Scott, here is the next set of pictures- showing liners milled, stag cut and ground, blades handrubbed, and first fitting. Hope you enjoy behind the scene look at birth of the swellcenter. Thanks Jeff”

Here you go-

Don’t you love those Gen. Stag handles? I do.

Thanks Jeff for letting us see this beauty as she is being crafted.