The News from ElephantToenails.com

At the first meeting of the ETCC we decided to meet around certain knife shows throughout the year. So, if you are able to attend the show in Sevierville, Tn on Thur- Sat, Nov. 20- 22, we will be huddling together then.

On Saturday, Nov. 22nd, we will meet, so mark you calendars now. I’m working with the other officers : ) on the where and when, and will let you know. This will be an informal meeting and will either be around breakfast or lunch. More details to follow…

I bit the bullet yesterday and recording a basic intro to ET’s and put it up on YouTube. I was insprired to do this video after interviewing the knife video king on YouTube for CNJ.

For most of you this will be extremely basic- but I wanted to start here and will add others as I go along. If you have suggested toenail topics let me know. 

Intro to the Elephant Toenail Knife on YouTube

Due to the rarity of Jumbo Swellcenters (vintage or custom), I have elected to bring you another custom Jumbo that is being finished up right now.

Jeff Claiborne has keep us in the loop on his toenail makes and has another (his second) he is finishing.

He said, it is green mastodon leg bone. The only work left is to “hand rub, then high polish buff.”

We vintage Jumbo purest may jump back at the sur nuff green here, but recognize it is a custom and not a replica… it has grown on me. If you can’t handle it, then you can give it to me for Christmas

I’ve been asked to write an article for Blade Magazine and I need your help…no, not actually writing it for me, just providing me your feedback. All you have to do is click a button for me.

I know we here at The News tend to be a shy lot…just read and go (and I do appreciate you checking out The News when you are online), but now I need you to participate in a poll I have running over at Cutlery News Journal. If you are willing to help me out, just head on over and click that button for me. It will be the first post there at the top of the page.

Cutlery News Journal’s Poll

Thanks for your help. I’ll let you know what I am doing once I get finished.

Case XX Greenbone

Did you notice the recent eBay auction of the Case XX? One heck of an auction for one jewel of a toenail!

Greenbone Case XX are rare- much more common are the redbones. Greenbones are believed to have been made in the early XX era. This seller reported it to have been made between 1040- 1955. I can go for that.

It had very active bidding with 34 bids. The final sales price was $853.

I posted it in Recent Sales.

With all the goings-on in each of our lives, it is hard to keep up with, well, all the goings-on. So, I wanted to provide you the results of the three toenails sold last week in the J Bruce Voyles Auction.

• Lot 128- Case 7 Dot (”mint, except for a spiderweb or two”): $80
• Lot 249- Case Brothers (”very good, except pen blade repinned”): $232
• Lot 256- Cattaraugus (”excellent,” except for handle chips): $212

Granted, these three toenails may not have been “pristine mint”- but most old knives aren’t anyway; these prices seemed to be good deals.

I know there is a very cautious attitude most collectors of vintage knives take to buying “online,” but even still, I wouldn’t say that in and of itself would cause knives to sell below their true worth. While I didn’t see these knives in person, and do note the “condition description” provided, the Case Bros and Catt seemed to sell for less than they should have.

Did you get your copy of Knife World yet? I got mine today. How about that killer article on Clay Cutlery by David Pierce? I drank in every word on the first read through. I’ll be reading it a few more times before I file that edition away. It is super rich in cutlery history. David is very thorough and does a good job on his articles.

It covers all the hot points- Andover, NY; Platts Brothers; Killer pictures; Cattaraugus; A J Jordan and even the ol’ Case Brothers got mentioned.

And for us here at ET.com, it even had a picture of one of our favorite knife patterns in all the world

I know you probably think I fell off a log and broke my hands, but between my work schedule and family scheduling, I am still here and OK (as far as I know anyway).

Wanted to update you on my interview with custom knifemaker Tony Bose- I’m scheduled to talk to him in the morning…it is going to be good. I know, again, we aren’t into customs much around here, but my gracious, to talk to a knifemaker of the caliber of Mr. Bose who has actually made swellcenters- albeit only a few, is way too cool for me. Again let me remind you of his statement that those knives were there hardest to make of ANY knife he has ever made.

I can’t wait. Plus, with all the technological advances in knifemaking we have today, if today’s makers call it hard, just think how hard it must have been back at the C. Platts factory!

Just got a heads up about a Jumbo Swellcenter Easy Open from our friend Jeff Claiborne. This is hot off the press intel with pictures, as we are the first to see it here in the ET.com exclusive.

While I am not a expert in custom knives, but I can tell you, there are very few easy open swellcenters out there. We’ve found a few Jumbos, but very few. Easy Open Jumbos…don’t know that I have ever seen a custom.

Thanks Jeff for giving us the exclusive on what is going to be a cool knife.

Another installment in the From the Lighter Side:

You know I have held to my promise not to use this forum here to talk politics, but I was sent something today from one of the members of the Elephant Toenail Collector Club that I had to share with you.

I share this at the risk that someone not of the toenail persuasion will see it and get the wrong impression of us here at ET.com or worse ME, but since we are all friends and you know I have a healthy sense of humor- so you have to promise YOU will take this the right way too and not as shameless promotion.

Here goes. Check it out

Thanks for lightening up my day, KEN.