I can easily understand military
collectors. There are so many
extraordinary events happening to ordinary Joes and Janes and their stories are
told in the badges and mess kits they carried.
So when I had the chance to buy a
brass-sided knife from the 1982 World’s Fair held in Knoxville, Tennessee I
bought it. The tang stamp identifies it
as made by Parker Cutlery in Japan.
The letters are so small I needed a magnifying glass to read them. |
The 1982 World's Fair, formally
known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was themed "Energy
Turns the World." It opened on May
1, 1982, and closed six months later on October 31, 1982. The Sunsphere, a 266-foot tower topped with a
five-story gold globe, still remains and can be seen in Knoxville.
James F Parker founded the
company as a sideline to his employment as a paint sales rep. He was one of the first to effectively utilize
direct mail services to buy and sell collectable knives in the 1970s. He used a stylized logo of an eagle with its
wings spread. He helped start Frost
Cutlery by partnering with James Frost in a short-lived partnership.
One of the more recognized tang stamps from Parker Cutlery |
The commemorative knife business
can be very confusing. Parker had knives
made by both Schrade and Rodgers-Wostenholm in addition to his own production. As his business evolved the tang stamp
changed, reflecting involvement with his brothers, purchasing of the Japanese
company Imia and then Rodgers Wostenholm USA Ltd which gave him the right to
use the IXL trademark. In January of
1989, Parker purchased the W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Co.
There can be no doubt that James
Parker was a player in the knife world stage!
Knives ranging from good to yuck quality were produced both for the
souvenir market and cutlery trade.
In 1990 James Parker declared
bankruptcy.
I find it interesting that I am
unable to find a Wikipedia entry about Parker or his knife company. Even Case knife histories fail to mention
their brief ownership by Parker. All I
could find out through my limited search of the Internet was Case is currently
owned by Zippo Lighters.
(Most of my information on Parker
was liberated from Collector Knives by C. Houston Price.)
After that little historic jaunt,
I’ve still got a very nice historic souvenir worth five dollars on E-Bay. It doesn’t look like the blade was sharpened
and I’m going to leave the brass with its patina. Now, if I can only find an elongated penny
from the fair, I would be a happier camper.
No comments:
Post a Comment