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remarkably scarce, highly collectible piece of pre-WWII American cutlery history: an original vintage KA-BAR 2-blade regular jack pocket knife, custom manufactured by the Union Cutlery Company in Olean, New York between 1925 and 1938. The master clip blade tang features a clean, deeply struck example of the classic two-line factory block logo. This honest old 1930s estate find is being offered in an open format listing.
The knife is built on a straight jack frame configuration featuring traditional solid brass liners, flush handle pins, iron backsprings, and rounded steel bolster caps. The toolkit carries its original dual carbon steel blades consisting of a main clip-point blade alongside a secondary pen blade. The handles are original bright butter-yellow celluloid composition scales. Please note a historic past owner hand-etched the initials R.D.R. cleanly into the front handle scale, providing an authentic window into this tool's long working past. It is a fantastic opportunity for collectors of early Union Cutlery hardware variants.
Condition Notes
This vintage pocket knife is in solid, original working condition and is sold exactly as pictured. Mechanically, both carbon steel blades retain functional operational manual movement with excellent spring snap. The carbon steel blades exhibit a dark aged patina, heavy uniform storage tarnish, light sharpening wear, and scattered carbon spotting lines appropriate for its extreme age. The bright yellow celluloid handle scales are structurally complete and tight to the brass liners; please note there is a prominent hand-carved initials marking R.D.R. on the presentation field as highlighted in the photos, along with typical surface pocket scuffs. Please review all high-resolution macro photos to closely verify dimensions, blade lengths, and exact stamp configurations before buying. Thank you for looking.