Hey Team,

I was at the Greenville, SC gun/knife show today and simply could not walk past this one... its an older 4-5 with a Heiser sheath. I own several newer Randalls and this is my first "historic" purchase. Any information you all could provide on the knife would be appreciated!

Have a good weekend,

Jay

Jay,
Measure the blade. The sheath reads: "4-5". It is one of my favorites as well as a brother in Mississippi. (My Brother from another Mother)...Check out the RKCC banner ad. I think you'll see another nice #4. Nice going. I hope you didn't pay too much but, in the end, it really doesn'y matter...does it?
Best, Capt. Chris

Hey Captain,

You are correct, it's a 5 inch blade. Ha, yeah I agree on the cost -- I feel it was "fair deal" but don't really have a benchmark. The gentleman I purchased it from dated the knife to '59... what are your thoughts?

That is a great example you have pictured.

Hope all is well,

Jay

Cool knife Jay. You better be careful..... the old ones get in your blood.

i would date your knife pre-55-56. The wide sone flap is an early 50's tell.

Jay
Cool older knife and great shape. I am trying to avoid the older stuff, because it might be addictive

Peter

Jay,

That sure is a beauty. Good for you. Use it often and always in good health.

Cheers,

Alan Grombacher
RKS#5531
RKCC-CMI-010

Jay,

I just looked back at your pictures..... your knife has a peened tang.... no nut. This was discontinued in 52-53, I believe. That would put your knife in the very early 50's.... which matches the sheath.

Did it come with a stone?

Hi Jay,

There are a lot of things to look for in an old Randall knife and sheath if you want one that is "original". The primary tell is that the condition of the knife matches the condition of the sheath. In your case, the condition of the handle matches the condition of the sheath, but the condition of the blade doesn't follow: It's too pristine. That's an indication that the blade has been "shop cleaned" sometime in it's history. I put your knife no later than about 1950 because of the peened tang. With peened tangs, you usually see a blade "flat" running the length of the blade (i.e. the false edge grind does not intersect with the edge grind). Compare the Cap's blade grind with yours and you should be able to notice the difference as his blade has the flat. IMO your blade was shop cleaned some time in the 50's or 60's when the shop was still putting on the same finish as they did in the 40's (Cap's knife was shop cleaned much more recently and you can see the difference in finish in his first photo, which matches the finish of the knives coming out of the shop today). In the past when the shop re-ground an old knife with a blade flat, they usually removed it (This wasn't the case with Cap's knife which was shop cleaned much more recently). The date of your sheath aligns with the knife: ~ 1950. Note that the Model number is above the Heiser logo and the blade length is below. Later on in the 50's, the Model number and blade length were on the same line. I put the Cap's knife and sheath a bit earlier: ~ '48-'49 because only the blade length is stamped. If his sheath was any earlier, it would have rivets. Your stone is late 60's. Quite possibly replace by the shop when the blade was re-ground. Bottom line, it's still a great piece and I would be proud of it.

Best,

Jay,
As a footnote. If and when you're sick of it, you'll always be able to haggle a good "trade" from me as the 2 would look great together!
Nice knife, Capt. Chris
PS: Ron & Mitchell: As always, I enjoy your input. It's geat to see and good to see we've had some nostalgic oldies but goldies show up lately to wet the appetite!...CCS

Another footnote, Cap: It's hard to tell for sure, but it looks like your knife has a nickel silver pin (vs. a brass pin). Stag handles with nickel silver pins are usually found in a pretty small window of time. Roughly ~ 1948 - 1950.