Pocket Knife

[Cantstopdigging]

Hello Forum,

I found what I think is a early 1900s Boy Scout Knife. Thanks for looking!

 

[gunsil]

I agree that BSA knives should be manufactured in the US. There are American options, Buck knives comes to mind.
HH
dts

Actually Buck never made all the smaller pocket knives with their name on them, those were made by Camillus for them. Camillus has closed so I don't know where or if Buck still markets smaller American made folding knives or if they are getting some from overseas. Sadly besides Camillus closing Schrade and Queen have also closed making Case and Utica/Kutmaster the only full scale American pocket knife producing companies. Utica used to make a lot of the GSA pocket knives. KA-BAR has had most of their smaller folding knives or maybe all of them made overseas for some time. GEC is still making folders in Titisville, PA but they make small run classic pattern knives mostly for the collector market. I fully agree that BSA should have all their gear American made but I suppose that will never be again.

 

[gunsil]

I can't even guess the number of those lost by our troop members over the years... They were a cherished possession, before being allowed to possess a knife, a scout had to earn their chip? chit? I can't remember, something like that. Earned after demonstrating proper handling of a pocket knife and forfeited for misuse of same. If memory serves me, even Silly Putty would have presented a danger in our hands! I got to hunt a scout camp a few years ago and found SIX nearly new knives. They were more like Crocodile Dundee knives than the ones we carried as scouts, but then we used to bring .22s on our camp outs. Times have certainly changed.
HH
dts

Totin' Chip!! You did not need one to have a knife when in the scouts but you did need one if you went to camp or to certain events. Once you had your Totin' Chip if you got caught throwing a hatchet or knife you would get reprimanded and a corner was torn off your chip which was a printed card. If you lost three corners and still committed another cutlery faux pas you chip would be taken away and you were no longer allowed to carry hatchets and knives at camp or certain events. I'm 71 and still have mine around somewhere, might be with my draft card. Regarding the numbers of pocket knives lost, Remington, the largest pocket knife manufacturer between 1920-1940 did a report where they determined that the half life of a pocket knife was two years. In other words if 1,000 pocket knives were sold in a given year two years later 500 of them would have been lost or broken. Two years later there would be 250 left of the 1,000, and two years more only 125 left. This is why pocket knives are one of the most common lost items we find detecting. I know I had to have lost at least 15 of them and maybe more by the time I was 20 although I did get my first hunting knife at 5 and my first pocket knife at 7.

 

[BLK HOLE]

I do like finding things from the BSA, always brings back fond memories.