WRCA's Hubertus

         Most of us are familiar with the Hubertus lever lock automatic knife.  I own several, and I think they have great quality and style.

Hubertus Lever Lock   Total icey!

It’s a company with a complicated history.  Why complicated?  WWII in Germany threw a lot of companies into the dumpster of history.  Some survived and had Nazi associations which still haunts them to this day.  Ask Degussa, now Evonik, about that.

On March 1, 1932, Kuno Ritter started a knife company in Solingen, Germany, and concentrated on fixed blades called hiking knives.  We might call them camping or bush craft knives.

Due to the Second World War, business operations were discontinued in 1941 but resumed in 1946.  I found a report claiming Kino Ritter Co. made Boy Scout knives during the war.  I also saw reports that German Boy Scouting was closed and their members had to join the Hitler Youth organizations.  Draw your own conclusion.

Following the war, Kuno Ritter Co acquired several trademarks, including Hubertus, a brand registered for cutlery since 1899.  For those wondering, Hubertus is the patron saint of hunters.

An unknown Solinger cutler received a utility pattern in 1897 for a folding lever release, making the knife safer to carry in your pocket.  We call it a lever lock.

Around 1950, the company was renamed Hubertus Schneidwarenfabrik Kuno Ritter KG and is now run by the third-generation Ritter.

The Hubertus I recently ran across was a Western Reserve Cutlery Association (WRCA) club knife.  The date etched into the blade is 1985.  This appears to be part of the Golden Era of WRCA club knives when style and uniqueness trumped price.

WRCA's 1985 Club Knife

The bolster has tiny numbers stamped into it, indicating it was 7 of 65 knives ordered.  The top edge of the blade has some simple but nice file work, and the blade is etched.  WRCA can be seen in the middle of the blade.  The knife shows minor wear, but it is almost 40 years old.

I’m told this knife was offered to WRCA club members in three different styles.  One was gold-filled, and the other was silver-filled, but my source couldn’t recall the third option.  I suspect it was just the plain etched.

The stag looks a little worn  and I like the file work on the blade spine

To my surprise, the knife was ordered from Hubertus factory and then etched.  The etching was done by Shaw Leibowitz.  I dug into the name and found out our master etcher was really a husband-and-wife team composed of Sherill Shaw and Leonard Leibowitz.  You can find an interesting article about them by Bill Karsten in the December 1981 issue of Knife World and a better article by Sherrill Shaw in its Sept 2011 issue.  Knife World is now known as Knife Magazine, an excellent publication for any knife fancier.

Hubertus from 1985 direct to WRCA

I discussed the price with the owner but decided not to purchase it.  I'm not terribly interested in club knives.  https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2023/03/not-huge-fan-of-club-knives.html  It has to be really special.  Plus, it is my opinion, shared by several dealers, that club knives don't hold their value.  That's sad, but it is the way it is.

My Thanks to Ian for lending me the knife for some quick photos!

 

Mystery Knife

I just want to let you know that no knives were hurt at the Medina gun show this weekend.  In fact, damn few were sold by anyone.  There is something about the June show.  One would think that since there is no May show and following the June show there is nothing until September, June would be busting with buyers needing ammo, targets, supplies, blades and other sundry items.  Not so.

It was a stinky show, so men, stop eating all that cabbage, ‘cause it’s bad enough not having customers, but gassy ones are worse!

What appears to be a tang stamp is someone's initial carefully carved into the metal.

I did pick up a horn handled lever lock auto.  It’s completely free of maker marks.  So I searched Google images.  I found an internet reference to SKM A Beltrame in Italy.  This led me to the website from Frank Beltrame and Maniago, Italy.

It seems Maniago, Italy has a long tradition of making automatic knives, especially in the classic Italian stiletto style.  They also make lever locks like mine.  From the little I could tell with my internet search, companies like SKM (Switchblade Knife Works) acted as jobbers making knives for everyone and could, as governed by Italian law, mark the blades with anything or nothing.  SKM is reported to be out of business.  There is no website, but they may have resurfaced with a different name.

The tab, or lever must be depressed towards the handle to open or close the knife.

With the lever up against the bolster the knife can't be closed.  When closed this position prevents the knife from opening or unlocking.

Frank sells this knife, but he has no prices on his website and only one picture.  I’ve found other listings of this knife, but the dimensions are a little off.  Was this a bad translation from metric to English?  Or did the jobbers have a range of knives they made that looked the same, but varied in size?

In any case Maniago has what could be a very cool Museum of Knife Making: Art of Manufacturing and Cutlery.

You might enjoy this link better.

Horned handle lever lock automatic knife, closed and locked.

I’m not sure what to do with his little guy.  It’s in very good shape with a 3-inch blade and 4.5-inch horn handle.  I suspect there is a little more research to be done on this guy.