The News from ElephantToenails.com

I know you are aware I have an particular liking for Case Brothers and have just about been able to get my hands on most of the variations made. But, a few weeks ago I was contacted by a fellow toenail collector about one he has had in his collection for some time. It is one I haven’t been able to find in authentic condition. (I am amazed by the “closet collectors” who have some jewels out there they have kept a secret. I know without a doubt there are some of the most desirable and sought after premo toenails keep below the radar that will surface soon enough.)

This particular toenail is the 7250 tortoise shell produced by Case Brothers. It is advertised in their 1904 catalog.

If you will notice the 7250 is the second most expensive list price in their catalog. While it is just under a third of the price for a dozen pearls, it is more than the genuine stag or bone stag. Tortoise Shell (sea turtle shell) was expensive then and eventually was banned.

I have the 2250 (ebony), 5250 (genuine stag), 6250 (bone stag) and the 8250 (pearl), but have had a difficult time locating a genuine 7250. I have seen a few fakes, but not the real thing yet.

Well this collector states his is the real deal (I haven’t see it in person yet).

Tortoise Shell was replaced by celluloid. Hibbert Spencer and Bartlett, Chicago was one of the large producers of celluloid to look like tortoise shell handles.

No this isn’t a Bud commercial, instead it is my fulfillment of my promise to a recent request.

As I posted earlier this week, I had a new collector want to see a toenail in hand (so he could show his wife how big toenails are). I have two confessions here- one is I am a terrible photographer and two, I only have time to play knives at night so the lighting stinks. I had to take the photos left handed which is hard due to the camera being made to push the button with your right hand, plus it is an bulky camera at that.

Anyway, you see how the knife is a handful, but honestly it fits like a glove. To me the toenail being a working man’s knife was perfectly made to fit the contours of the right hand.

Can you guess the knife I am holding? You probably guessed right. It is in my all time favorite standard style toenail (non-jumbo, that is).

I acquired it last year from a fellow collector who was raising money to buy a car or something…..really I don’t remember what he said, but you know as well as I do he could go out and nearly buy a car for what I had to pay for this pearly. While there is a bit of rust on the bolsters the knife still has original finish on the blades and is the best conditioned Case Brothers pearl I have ever owned. While the famous trademark XX is not stamped out on the blade, the rear tang is stamped TESTED XX.

As most of you are aware Case Brothers made this knives shorter than most other manufacturers. It measures out at nearly four inches long closed.

A few of years ago one of our members, Mr. Barry Stephenson emailed me a treasure he had come upon while out “in the hunt” for toenails.

We love the hunt. Canvassing show tables, networking with other collectors, getting dealers to keep their eyes out- ever now and then we hook a big one. That is what he emailed me- a big one.

If you aren’t familiar with Union Cutlery Co. it were founded in March 23, 1909, but really had been in the cutlery business for years prior, just then it operated as Union Razor Co. Tidioute, Pa. (1902- 1909). I don’t have the time nor space to recount the fascinating history of the people behind or the history of, this knife co. Instead, I highly recommend David Anthony’s detailed account of the cutlery companies from Tidioute, Pa. in Tidioute: A Town With an Edge. In his book, David recounts the history of the folks behind Union Razor/Cutlery Co. It was operated by the Brown family and then in 1951 its name was officially changed to Ka-Bar and continues to operate today.

I love the Union Razor/early Union Cutlery era and have several toenails, billheads (letterhead) and boxes reflecting this period, but back to the BIG FISH story I was telling you. It was on 8.15.2004 when Barry emailed out of the blue to me. And it had a big fish he had found. Here is what he said:

Hi Scott,

I have just purchased a one blade toenail marked Union <Tidioute>. It is old and has not been cleaned. The handles are light green bone with an arrow shield. The blade is wider than most but not as wide as a Platts. The knife is wider at one end as a sleeveboard pattern and in great shape. It is a one blade knife with the easy opener as does the Platts. It has steel bolsters and steel liners, the knife has age spots but no pitting. I would say it has never been used but has light scratches on the blade as if someone may have tried to sharpen it lightly. Very minor marks with no metal from the blade. No dings or damage on the knife and no real damage on the scales. I cannot see any cracks in the bone but have not had it under a glass yet. Needless to say I felt I found a great buy at the Lexington, Kentucky Knife show. Here is a picture of it. I took a quick one to send you. If you would like I will send better ones in proper lighting to give you a look see.

I really enjoy your website, I do collect Toenails.

Barry Stephenson

Picture of length is misleading because of angle of being in on close up photo. 3 15/16″ X 1 3/8″ X 1 1/16″

You know the other day, I shared with you about, to my knowledge, there are three known single blade toenails from the first half of the 20th Century. There is the single blade C. Platts Jumbo, the Miller Bros. metal lock back and Barry’s Union Cutlery Co. We are learning more constantly about our wonderful pattern and others may surface, but for now these are the ones we have identified.

The other unusual aspects of this knife are- it is a tear-drop style and an easy open. It is the only non- Henry Sears tear-drop I know of and only the second easy open I have seen (the first being C. Platts easy open single blade).

Thanks for sharing your wonderful toenail with us Barry. We love to see toenails our members have as favorites.

I will start this article with a confession. I have to tell you I am learning all the time about our wonderful pattern. Originally, when I first put up ET.com under The Knife I have a section of “Firms Who Didn’t Make Toenails” and Miller Brothers was on that list. A few years later, I heard rumor of a metal handled Miller Brothers from Joe Seale, but wasn’t able to run it down. Just a couple of months ago, M. D. Wells mentioned it and told me he knew who owned it. I was beside myself to try to get my hands on it for us here. I have yet to add it to The List, so you are getting to see it first!

In case you aren’t familiar with Miller Brothers, according to Houston Price’s book, Official Price Guide to Collector Knives, 14th Edition, “The firm was founded by brothers who were toolmakers and gunsmith apprentices back in 1863. They purchased the Pratt-Read facilitates in Meriden, CT. The brothers were innovative and their contributions to the knife industry include methods and machinery to stamp knife parts and methods to manufacture bolsters. The firm failed in 1878, but was reorganized under William Rockwell.

In 1917 it sold its cutlery division to Meriden Knife Co. favoring the business of steel pens manufacture. In 1926 it ceased knife manufacturing and went completely into making steel pens (writing pens). Their name was changed at that time to Miller Brothers Pen Co.”

The Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography states that “In 1862, (George) Mr. Miller moved to Meriden, Connecticut, where he entered into the shops of the Parker, Snow & Brooks Company, who engaged in manufacturing Springfield rifles for the US. For some time he worked as a toolmaker, and then took a contract for producing locks for Springfield rifles.

In 1868, in conjunction with his brother, William Miller, he engaged in the manufacture of pocket cutlery, and this led to the formation of Miller Brothers Cutlery Company, still engaged very extensively in the production of various kinds of cutlery, steel pens and other metal products. In 1878, George sold out his interest in the establishment and began the manufacture of pocket knives and novelties, with the factory located at George and Mechanic streets, where he continued until 1899.”I

n a 1906 ad in Connecticut Magazine, Mr. Rockwell is shown as president of the firm. Interestingly, according to ”Men of Mark in Connecticut: Ideals of American Life Told in Biographies, published in 1908, “Mr. Rockwell was a banker. He worked at the bank he ultimately became president of from 1870 til he took office as president in 1902. While he was president of Miller Bros Cutlery Co. he was also on the board of directors at Meriden Cutlery Co.”

Pictured below is a Miller Bros Meriden single blade lockback toenail. Mr. Joe Seale said about this toenail- “It is the rarest of the rare!” Pictured with the knife is an actual Miller Bros. Cutlery Co. billhead from April 30th, 1897. Note: The firm took clam at that time for a patented steel pen called The Acme and other steel pens of every description.

This knife is a single bladed, lock-back metal handled toenail. While I am familiar with at least two other single bladed toenails, one an easy open Union Cutlery Co. that I’ll feature shortly, the other is the easy open C. Platts. While a metal handled toenail may strike you as a first, there is one listed in Parkers Price guide as a M250 metal handled W R Case toenail (I am still trying to track this one down).The handles have their initials on one side and an anchor on the other. Miller Brothers was famous for the metal working and held numerous patents (I’m just starting to think about researching them).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few of you may know, the H. Boker brand is one of my sentimental favorites. I won’t delve into the details, other than to say, when I first started back into knife collecting I focused on old H. Boker knives and was well on my way to a decent collection until I got stopped dead in my tracks the first time I saw a toenail.

 

Boker has a very rich history going back to the 1700’s. The Boker (you will see it spelled several ways if you research their name) family was a very prominent manufacturer who branched out to the US very early.

 

Their 1928 catalog states they were “Established in New York City in 1837, H Boker & Co. Inc., for nearly a century has been known from coast to coast as manufacturer and importer of fine cutlery and hardware. During that period the name ‘Boker Tree Brand’ has become recognized as a standard of quality in cutlery.”  Unfortunately, in that 90+ pages of Boker cutlery the toenail is not pictured. 

 

 

 

JUMBO No. 9331- 1914 Greer and Laing of Wheeling W. Va catalog -

 

 

The Boker brand has all the interesting facets to me that Case does-rich history, family, entrepreneurial brothers, yet maybe without the degree of intrigue. 

 

Boker was started by Herman and Heinrich Boeker in the late 1700’s in Solingen, Germany. The Boker firm made tons of patterns and probably imported them all over the world. They were big importers to the US in the 1800’s.

 

Robert Boker went to Canada and later Mexico. Herman Boker came to the US and was responsible opening their office in New York. Obviously, the cutlery they imported was their own. 

 

In 1916,  Boker USA “officially” gained control over an American cutlery manufacturer Valley Forge Cutlery Co. of Newark, NJ. The Bokers direct venture into the US market was probably to avoid the tariffs (Cutlery Act of 1890) imposed by our government on all cutlery imported into the US. Their acquisition of Valley Forge also gave them an American brand name that had been around since 1892. Goins states Carl Bowker became president in 1902. Boker USA owned controlling interest at that point.  In 1921 they opened a new plant in Maplewood, NJ and the Boker/VF factory was moved to that location, where they produced knives under both brands until 1950 when the Valley Forge marking was dropped. The firm sold later only to be repurchased by the Heinr. Boker Company of Germany. In 1986 they opened Boker USA in Lakewood, Co. as their distributor firm for the US market.

 

I’m sure there are numerous examples of old H. Boker toenails out there today, I’ve been fortunate to locate a couple, in addition to Valley Forge made samples. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite is my H. Boker & Co’s Improved Cutlery pearl handled toenail dating back to around c. 1920.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Boker knives are highly desirable, I think the factors that have “held back” the Boker brand from being widely collected is: First, their complete records were destroyed in the bombings of their plant in WWII, therefore little “documented” support exists to help collectors. I do have two old catalogs dated 1914 and 1928, and have read about a 1906 catalog). The second reason is it isn’t American. 

 

 

 

To me one of the intriguing aspects of collecting H. Bokers was the Tree stamping on the really old samples. Their brand was the Tree Brand and according to Goins stamped the tree on their knives starting in 1848. It is interesting to see the evolution of the tree stamp through the years. Serious H Boker collectors use the trees to date the knives as well as the various stampings. On the majority of the knives, the tree stamp is on the rear tang of the blades. Goins also shows the various stamping, so if you are interested grab you a copy of his book to dive a little deeper. 

 

The tang stampings typically date the knife as well. One of the older more desirable stampings is what is referred to as the “Improved” stamp.