1984 NKCA

             I recently bought another club knife from the National Knife Collectors Association. It's the 1984 knife made by Hen and Rooster. As some of you may remember, I'm not a big fan of club knives. https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2023/03/not-huge-fan-of-club-knives.html.

There are exceptions, based on looks and style. The 1984 NKCA is one of them. The knife is very nice and in excellent condition, and I like the non-symmetric bolsters that sandwich the jigged brown bone. The NCKA medallion is very striking. All of which made me want to reach for my wallet.

Hen and Rooster 1984 NKCA knife of the year

According to the 12th edition of  'Collector Knives' by Price, the 1984 NKCA club knife was made by Bertram, USA. The sequentially numbered knives, limited to 7000, came with jigged bone handles and cost $38. In 2025 dollars that’s about $119. In 1998, Price claimed it had a collector value of around $125.

I think the medallion is a classy addition

However, the true value is only what someone will pay for it. eBay shows two sold for an average of $65. Buyer beware. Other similar knives with a different medallion embedded on the handle were also seen. They weren't selling.

The interesting part is the history of the manufacturer.

Sometime in 1845, Carl Bertram started the Hen & Rooster brand. Carl was already an established and well-known owner of a poultry business in Solingen, Germany. Being nobody's fool, Carl capitalized on his reputation by creating the Hen & Rooster logo to mark his brand in about 1865. They were considered well-made, high-quality knives. The firm was handed down within the family and maintained the quality.

The tag line almost falls off the blade

The original firm also manufactured contract knives with Hen & Rooster on one side of the blade tang, and numerous other names on the reverse side. During the late 1960s and early 1970s Bertram made knives for Carter Cutlery, Carter, Jeffrey, Kane, Voss, John-I-Son, Ky-Col, Gutmann Cutlery, Fife Cutlery, Mar-cal, A.G. Russell, L & N Loan Co., and Field & Co.

In 1975, A.G. Russell purchased the firm. A.G.’s company operated the Bertram Hen & Rooster manufacturing facility and brand for five years. During this time, he produced Hen & Rooster knives as well as other knives bearing his own trademark. At some point, A.G. made knives for other companies with one side of the tang stamped with the Hen & Rooster logo and the contract’s firm name on the reverse side.

In 1980, the factory in Solingen, Germany, closed.

The Hen and Rooster Logo with Bertram Cutlery

This is curious. The 1983 NKCA knife bears the Hen & Rooster tang stamp, and the reverse tang stamp reads Rostfrie Solingen Germany. But if the plant was closed….?

Reverse tang reads Rostfrie Solingen Germany

There are several possibilities. My information could be wrong. It has been collected from several internet sources, and errors may occur. The blade could be new old stock, purposed for the NKCA knife. And while the factory was closed, it may have continued to operate to meet legal obligations.

In 1983, the Hen & Rooster trademark and the Bertram name were acquired by three individuals: James Frost of Frost Cutlery, Howard Rabin of Star Sales, and Hugo Schiesen of Robert Klaas, from Solingen, Germany. Robert Klaas may have been the creator of my Hen and Rooster. My original assumption was that the knife was made at the Bertram plant in Solingen, but it could have been made at another plant in the area.

After a short period of time, James Frost bought the sole rights to the trademark and distribution of all Hen & Rooster knives in the United States. In general, the Hen and Roosters manufactured before 1980 are thought to be of the best quality.

My knife is numbered 4092 of the 7000 made. The pivot is a bit tight, I suspect a drop of oil is overdue. The handle is lined with brass, and the lock mechanism is simply known as a back lock, made famous by the Buck 110 Hunter. The interesting thing, like some Italian autos, the spring is composed of two leafs. I suspect they are not replaceable. The bolsters are nickel silver, a cunning alloy which doesn't contain any silver. The brown bone grips are nicely jigged.

Double leaf spring

The blade steel is a little more problematic. It's listed simply as stainless steel. What stainless steels were available in 1980? There were a few, including 440C, the best of the 440 series, which was common, as were AUS-8, 425M, and S60V. I suspect 440C was utilized. It's still a good, inexpensive steel used today. But I suspect the NKCA year knives were never intended for use.

Collectors always want to know, "Did I get a good deal?" Of course, you can't really believe any of us about price. I'm happy with the knife, so, yes, I got a good deal.

 

 

 

 

 

Club Knives

 I’m not a huge fan of club knives.  Most club knives have a simple engraved blade and little else to recommend them.  However, I do occasionally purchase them.  My local club, Western Reserve Cutlery Association, had a swing guard with an ivory handle from Keen Kutter that I bought.  By comparison, most current club knives seem ordinary.

WRCA Club Knife...They forgot to have the year engraved.

Recently I found a Gerber NKCA knife from 1986.  It was number 3013 of 6200.  The raised NKCA shield over the blade pivot caught my eye, as did the excellent brown jigging and engraved blade.

NKCA stands for National Knife Collectors Association.

1986 NKCA Club Knife  one of 6200.  That number amazes me!

You don’t hear much about the NKCA anymore.  I googled their name and found a website selling cheap chewtoy holsters.  You take the metal parts off, if any, and give the holster to your dog to chew on.

NKCA started in 1972 when a group of collectors/dealers working at knife shows in Kentucky and Tennessee realized there was a growing market of knife enthusiasts and collectors.  They decided to form an association to grow a hobby into a profitable (keyword profitable) business.

It shouldn’t surprise you to discover the original name was the National Knife Collectors & Dealers Association.  After a couple of years, the dealer part was dropped.  Too much honesty, I guess.

James F. Parker was the first elected president in 1972.  He was a leading knife dealer at the time.  Parker was an interesting fellow.  James F. Parker founded Parker Knife 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 collectible knives in the 1970s.  Parker helped start Frost Cutlery by partnering with James Frost in a short-lived partnership and owned Case knife for a short time.

Parker guided the development of the NKC&DA to include enrolling members nationwide with a yearly membership fee.  They received a small monthly newsletter which developed into a monthly magazine.

1974 was two years into his presidency and Parker thought outside the box.  He proposed a "Collector's Knife" to be made exclusively for members.  Essentially, Parker originated the almost universal club knife, primarily to promote membership and a degree of eliteness.  Only members could buy a limited-edition knife from the NKC&DA.  This was unheard of at the time!  That factor drove the desire to be able to own one of these knives to high demand!

Parker chose an Anglo-Saxon whittler pocket knife with the most desired Case XX pattern 6391.  But Parker had difficulty finding a U.S. manufacturers willing to make the 1200 knives. 

Howard Rabin of Star Sales in Knoxville, TN, stepped up.  Rabin was the U.S. importer of German-made Kissing Crane knives.  His company wanted to be part of this new venture and eagerly made the 1200 knives Parker asked for.

For fun, I've converted the prices to 2023 dollars in parentheses.  The days of buying a new quality pocket knife for under $20 are gone.

NKC&AD sold their first club knives for $12 ($73) and only one knife per member.  They didn’t sell out as anticipated.  Being savvy or perhaps desperate businessmen, they created a second offer to their members.  Each member could now order up to three knives each at $15 ($83). 

Thus began club knives being used for promotion and as fundraisers.

Sold in 1986 for the equivalent of $106

In 1975, the desire for these limited edition NKC&AD club knives pushed the knife price to a staggering resale price of $600 ($3336).  The 1976 club knife, a Case XX 4380 whittler with a production of 5,000, would sell out!  The price of $15 ($83) would peak at a resale value of $250 ($1390).  The 1977 club knife was a Kissing Crane stag handled gunboat canoe knife and 6,000 were produced, followed in 1978 by 8,000 IXL Wostenholm green bone handled three blade canoes.  The peak number of knives produced for NKCA was in 1981 with an issue of 12,000 made by Queen.

That was high point of NKCA club knives.  NKCA membership started to decline as did the number of annual club knives produced. 

Regional clubs wanted their own club knives, and the uniqueness and potential for up-market sales decreased.  Soon, various regional clubs had copied all the rare vintage and unusual patterns.  Clubs would try many variations by changing the handle materials, shifting blades around, adding blades to existing patterns, etc.  Nothing worked as well as the early revival of long discontinued vintage patterns originated by Parker and the NKCA.

There were so many club knives that it made it almost impossible to collect them all.  The oversupply had affected the value of the knives. 

Soon the resale value of a club knife was the same as the knife without the club markings.

In the end, the NKCA folded.  The exact date seems hard to determine.

There are still more than enough hard feelings to go around.  In 2010 an NKCA life member posted on Blade Forum:

“The NKCA became a slick scam by a series of office managers and presidents and sgt. at arms and various other 'officials' who helped to bankrupt what was a 3,500-member organization with a brick-and-mortar, state-of-the-art museum that I am grateful to have visited once.  Jim Parker, bless his soul, bought the land for 50 thousand and built the museum.  The thieves and scoundrels; yes, you heard right, going back to the thief who never delivered the pearl-handled 'club' knife forced the closure of the museum and the sale of the museum property for 1 million, all of which went to pay the NKCA's debts.  They should all have been 'hung'; both men and women!"

So, club knives?  Are they a scam?  A gimmick to make money and attract members?

Maybe, but I suggest you buy based on what you like and not a financial investment.  The 1986 NKCA knife was sold for $39.00 or $106 in 2023 dollars.  I found my knife for around $50, but I see others trying to sell at $125 and they collect dust. 

Will the WRCA club knife increase in value or just get lost of the ubiquitousness of club knives?