The News from ElephantToenails.com

A B Haines

Many of you may remember Mr. Haines as a big time toenail collector from years gone by. In fact, I interviewed him for us here at ET.com (See Old Timers on homepage main menu) back in Nov. 2002. While no longer chasing toenails, Mr. Haines remains passionate about collecting knives. Well, today I had the opportunity to visit with him by phone.

Mr. Haines called today after receiving a mailer from my company pertaining to some work were are doing in his hometown. We spoke and agreed to meet when I visit his town in the next few weeks. It was very refreshing to once again speak with a collector as enthusiastic about old knives and history as he is. I look forward to sitting down with him. I’ll probably take a few knives with me when I do.

Who is today’s knife collector? Well, this much we do know- the average NKCA member doesn’t necessary represent all knife collectors in the Knife World. In fact, we know there are thousands of knife enthusiasts on YouTube alone.

The universe of collectors is much larger than we know. To me anyone who has a couple of knives and likes them is a collector. They may only get one, or two, a year, but they are every bit as much a collector as I am.

In an effort to profile today’s collector, we are running a Knife Community Survey over at CNJ and I would very much like to have you participate.

We are not trying to stereotype collectors; instead we are trying to find out who they are today.

Thanks for helping out. Please follow this link. I know many of you may have already voted as a result of my email, but if you haven’t, please do.

On another note: If you would like to be added to our email list simply click here. Thanks

Many of you may remember our dear friend and toenail collector, Mr. Russ Atlamore. Russ passed away on Sept. 17th, 2005. He was singularly the most enthusiastic toenail collector I have known. He took the significant time and energy to write a book on sunfish/elephant toenails about the same time I was finishing ET.com. You may get lucky and find one listed on eBay. He only had a few dozen printed at that time.

Got a message from Russ’ friend and the estate executor yesterday giving me a heads up. He is selling Russ’ knife related books, knife boxes and other memorabilia. Save the seller under your favorites as there are sure to be some goodies listed. Russ had an extensive library of reference books. 

Russ' TESTED XX knife box

Right now he has two items up on eBay with more to come.

The items are: 120314038970 and 120310486023

Let’s support the memory of our fellow toenail collector by helping out with the sale of these items.

Couple of D W's favorites

MY NAME IS D.W.COVER FROM SOUTHEAST IOWA U.S.A. I SOLD ALL OF MY NEWER CASE AND FIGHTN ROOSTER TOE NAILS AND KEPT MY CATTARAUGUS AND HIBBARD SPENSER BARTLETT. I HAVE BEEN COLLECTING FOR 35 YEARS AND HAVE A LARGE COLLECTION OF CATTARAUGUS AND JACK KNIFE BEN, UNION STOCK YARD KNIVES. THE ONLY KNIVES I WANT ARE THE OLD ONES FROM 1940 ON BACK. I RETIRED FROM STANDARD OIL AFTER 47 YEARS AND GO TO ALOT OF ANTIQUE AUCTIONS. I HAVE ATTENDED THE IOWA KNIFE SHOWS AND THE ONE IN SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI. MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS WMCOVER@MEPOTELCO.NET.

We are glad to have D W ’round here showing us his old toes and appreciate him sharing his profile with us too.

For some of us who don’t get to travel to many shows either due to work, demands at home, $, lack of shows in the area, or just because we are too lazy to get off our duff, it is hard to stay connected with fellow collectors. Well, I fall into this category too, for many of the reasons listed.

But, I love it when you guys share what is going on in your collector world. I find it most enjoyable when you take the time to share with me your “finds.” 

One collector in particular keeps the good times coming and he is Roger Cunningham. I know he is centrally located with lots of club shows to go to, but I also know this is a man on a mission- he is out there actively prospecting for toenails.

Well, about every other week, or so it seems, Roger fires me another set of pictures with his latest finds. Yesterday, I get two more. My gracious, and the thing  about Roger is he isn’t just out there buying any old toenail with two blades and two sides of a handle. Roger is fairly particular about the toes he adds to his collection.

Here are the two he sent earlier this week.

So, I want to share with all of you (I know he won’t mind) so you can get refreshed, as I do each time I see an email from him with attachments. The one one the left is a Case Brothers with greenbone handles. On the right is a Camillus depicting the driving of the golden spike.

Vintage Case Brothers

Camillus with historic scene picture

These are two fine toes! Thanks Roger for sharing.

We had better be displaying our toenails for everyday viewing! I hate it that 90% of my collection is stashed away from preying eyes (including my own ). Don’t you hate it when you can’t display them for you to see at a quick glance? To be able to enjoy them anytime you want right there next to your desk? Maybe you can.

I was sent this cool picture of his display by a fellow collector, Mr. Keith Easley from PA. Even though Keith refers to our favorite knife as a sunfish, which is OK by me, he has a custom Sunfish display for his prized catches.

I know it is hard to see but Keith has some real jewels. I know he has a pearl WRC Bradford, a CB LVNY ‘51, a jumbo, a Robeson swellcenter and many others of the real oldies.

I haven’t heard from Keith in a while but hope he is doing fine. Thought you would enjoy seeing this. If you are out there Keith give us a shout sometime. Maybe I can even get a collector profile from him. Keith has a real passion for toenails and is an avid collector.

I was born and raised in a small, two-traffic light town located in southeast Alabama named Brundidge. In the name of progress, however, one of the traffic lights has been removed. We were hell bent on not becoming too big. Fifty years later, we still have just one traffic light - so, I guess the removal of that second traffic light must have worked. Although I’ve traveled all over the world, had some great times and met some great people, Brundidge is still my favorite “small town.”

My passion for collecting knives, guns, cars and Harley motorcycles started in my hometown while attempting to walk in my grandfather’s shoes. My grandfather taught me how to “have my cake and eat it too” by buying stuff that he was passionate about, taking good care of his stuff, and believing that sometime in the future, you should pass the stuff on. He instilled that in me at an early age, and I plan to pass my stuff on to the grandkids, but NOT YET!!

After graduating from high school at 17, I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where I served for 5½ years (some of the best years of my life) - another case of “having my cake and eating it too.” After wearing that blue uniform for my country, I suppose I was hooked on uniforms. I returned from the Land of the Rising Son (Japan) and joined the Metropolitan Police Department in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., where I served for 20½ years (the last 13 years I served as a training officer at the Fourth District) before retiring.

So - after 26 years of service in the Air Force and on the Police Department, I decided that it was about time for me to “man up” and do some real work - I founded V. Henderson Landscaping in 1991. I am still having fun doing this. One of the properties that I take a lot of pride in landscaping and maintaining is the US Chamber of Commerce located across the park (Lafayette Park) from the White House. This property was once the home of the historic Webster family - so, if any of ET.com folks decide to tour this great city and the White House, feel free to walk across the park to the U.S.Chamber, go the front desk and ask for me. If I’m not around that day, they will know how to reach me.

In the past few years while chasing that next “must have” for my collection, I’ve had the chance to talk with some of the most passionate people that I’ve ever encountered (the late James Parker, his son Buzz Parker, Bob Wurzelbacher and, without a doubt, Scott King to name a few). These men have been forthcoming, earnest and helpful - some things that you don’t see much any more. This is just one of the reasons that collecting knives can be so intoxicating for me - what better way to spend your money - collecting knives that you can enjoy for a lifetime while at the same time, teaching your kids (or in my case, the grandkids) some real life lessons about taking care of your stuff, investing, patience and discipline - like “having your cake and eating it too.”

Just like ET.com creator, Scott King, I am also hooked on the elephant toenail pattern - stag is my favorite handle material. C. Platt Son, Case and Napanoch are my favorite brands, but I love all brands of elephant toes. When I’m not searching for old elephant toes, I love driving some of the vehicles that I’ve collected over the years. My favorite is a 1974 Pantera that I purchased brand new and it still has the original wiper blades.

That’s a little about me. I look forward to reading all of your bios.

P.S. Thanks Scott for firing up the old toes again!

Hello everyone, my name is Clay Strong. I live on the southwest coast of Florida along the Caloosahatchee river, not far from the Everglades with its swamps, mosquitoes, and alligators.

I have a small collection of a variety of knives. I haven’t concentrated on a particular category, partly because I like all knives. The investment aspect isn’t as important to me as is the utility and design of a knife to meet a given purpose. The elephant toe-nail was born out of necessity. A tool was needed to perform a particular task in the field and it was not meant to be used for much else. I’m sure that men who carried them learned to do just about everything else that came along though. That’s part of getting to know your knife.

I’m sixty years old. And, since I can’t remember not trying to accumulate one more knife, I guess you could say I’m a lifetime collector. I only have a couple of toenails. They’re beat up and tarnished, but they tell me a story, as do most of my knives. I grew up in the middle of the Texas oil fields. Members of my family and others that I knew worked on oil rigs. My father told me that the big knives carried by his uncles were used a lot to splice steel cable. Rope was never used extensively, except for towing and securing equipment. He mentioned once that my great-aunt’s husband carried a Sunfish all the time. He was the father of the famous golfer Ben Hogan. How’s that for trivia?

My background is a duke’s mixture of experiences. I’ve worked on just about every motorized transportation there is, including airplanes. I was in the Coast Guard and on Navy submarines. I got involved with computers as a result of my military training. Today, I spend most of my time on the web visiting interesting sites such as this one, working on my various websites, writing blogs, and moderating a knife forum. I attend the local shows sponsored by arms and knife collectors. I am amazed at the variety of toenails that are displayed. Each with its story.

Well, that’s my story. I look forward to reading yours, one and all. Give me a shout sometime.Clay Strongeditor@knifelinksunlimited.com

My name is Barry Stephenson and I live near Morrow, Ohio which is about thirty miles NE of Cincinnati.

I am married with three grown daughters and six grandkids. I am a retired pipe fitter and busier than when I worked. I am restoring a 1949 Ford auto and watching a lot of sports with grandkids playing. We have a small farm of twenty three acres and have a nice home in the country. Life if Good!

I have been collecting knives for about 15 yrs. And belong to the Fort City Knife Collectors Club in Norwood, Ohio.

Like many collectors I bought everything with a blade when I started. I bought my first ToeNail at a Kentucky auction and was hooked every since. I also have a collection of ivory fruit knives which have ivory blades and back springs, but toenails are my favorites. I enjoy the old hardware store brands and the obscure names the most. This site has been a valuable source of info for me, to see pictures of knives I find at the show and compare info. Scott has been a blessing for me to ask about knives I see and receive answers I need.

My favorite knife is a Union Cutlery, Tidioute Toenail which is a teardrop pattern with one blade. I always try to up grade my knives or add to the collection when I can. It is really hard to believe the way knife values have went up. One thing I have learned collecting is if you think the price is too high now, wait a few years and you’ll think it was cheap!

My brother and I go to the national shows in Louisville, Cincinnati and also a show in Lexington. See a lot of knives and meet a lot of people, the quality of knife is generally better than you find on Ebay and you can hold what you buy before purchase. It is the hunt to find a quality knife you do not already own that makes the shows fun.

Ken Mundhenk

I live in Blue Creek, Ohio. I’ve been married soon to be 36 years and we have 2 son’s ages 31 and 22.  We are anxiously waiting the birth of our first grandchild.

I’m a material handler for a coal fired electric generating station.

I’ve been collecting case knives for about 14 years. I carry a stag mini copperlock. Over the years I’ve collected the limited editions and recently the tiny trappers. 

I’ve always been fascinated by the toenails but didn’t know alot about them until I met Roger Cunningham, he’s the local toenail guru. Going to knife shows with Roger and watching him on the hunt caused me to catch the toenail fever. With his help and guidance, I’ve acquired several case and catts.

I’m a member of the case collectors club and NKCA. I want to say your ET site is fantastic! I truly enjoy it, it’s a big help to a newbie in the hunt for toenails. I understand you will be in Bradford,PA in July, I’m looking forward to meeting you.