A Green River that isn't a Green River

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Desert Rat

Desert Rat

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Green River never made a knife like this and it took a little digging. It seems that it was likely made in Sheffield England and sold below cost in an effort to weaken the American cutlery industry.
Looks to be a fruit wood handle (?) and a tapered tang, they didn't skimp on quality. A fact I found really interesting.
 
Desert Rat said:







Green River never made a knife like this and it took a little digging. It seems that it was likely made in Sheffield England and sold below cost in an effort to weaken the American cutlery industry.
Looks to be a fruit wood handle (?) and a tapered tang, they didn't skimp on quality. A fact I found really interesting.
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Was Green River a company / manufacturer then? I thought it was just a style of knife (not that style!)...

You certainly get a lot of 'Green River' knives made by Sheffield producers.
 
cotedupy said:
Was Green River a company / manufacturer then? I thought it was just a style of knife (not that style!)...

You certainly get a lot of 'Green River' knives made by Sheffield producers.
Click to expand...
It was a style of knife but J Russell & Co, Green River Works was the leading American manufacturer of butcher, skinning knifes at the time this knife was made. This knife is much later than the fur trade era, late 1800's if I remember right. The steel rivets say as much.

Would a consumer at the time purchase this knife thinking it was the trusted Russell, Green River Works? I think so, heck I bought it at a yard sale thinking it was a Russell not really paying that much attention to it or really being that familiar the Russell's.

In hindsight the title is miss leading and so is my description.
Keep me straight Oli.
 
Desert Rat said:
It was a style of knife but J Russell & Co, Green River Works was the leading American manufacturer of butcher, skinning knifes at the time this knife was made. This knife is much later than the fur trade era, late 1800's if I remember right. The steel rivets say as much.

Would a consumer at the time purchase this knife thinking it was the trusted Russell, Green River Works? I think so, heck I bought it at a yard sale thinking it was a Russell not really paying that much attention to it or really being that familiar the Russell's.

In hindsight the title is miss leading and so is my description.
Keep me straight Oli.
Click to expand...
Russell certainly made boning knives of that pattern. Whether they stamped any of the handle Green River I don't know but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't happen sometime in their long history.
 
Anything old could have had it’s profile altered dramatically over time with sharpening- I wouldn’t expect to see that shape in a catalogue
 
Desert Rat said:
It was a style of knife but J Russell & Co, Green River Works was the leading American manufacturer of butcher, skinning knifes at the time this knife was made. This knife is much later than the fur trade era, late 1800's if I remember right. The steel rivets say as much.

Would a consumer at the time purchase this knife thinking it was the trusted Russell, Green River Works? I think so, heck I bought it at a yard sale thinking it was a Russell not really paying that much attention to it or really being that familiar the Russell's.

In hindsight the title is miss leading and so is my description.
Keep me straight Oli.
Click to expand...


Haha!

I didn't know that about the company - interesting. I imagine a original old one made by them back in the day is probably rather expensive now...
 
Noodle Soup said:
Russell certainly made boning knives of that pattern. Whether they stamped any of the handle Green River I don't know but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't happen sometime in their long history.
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I dug into it pretty good when I got some years ago, talked to some collectors ect, and it isn't a match to Green River Works. It also lacks the the blade stamp.
 
cotedupy said:
Haha!

I didn't know that about the company - interesting. I imagine a original old one made by them back in the day is probably rather expensive now...
Click to expand...
I really have know idea what the early ones would bring probably a lot.

I'm not a collector but I do have an old spatula and scrapping knife that has the J Russel Green River Works stamp. Well made tools.
 
Desert Rat said:
I dug into it pretty good when I got some years ago, talked to some collectors ect, and it isn't a match to Green River Works. It also lacks the the blade stamp.
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Why wasn't it a match to Russell? I sold the brand back in the 80's and that was one of the patterns I offered. I don't think any of the handles were stamped like that but the etching on the blade didn't always last during serious use.
 
Noodle Soup said:
Why wasn't it a match to Russell? I sold the brand back in the 80's and that was one of the patterns I offered. I don't think any of the handles were stamped like that but the etching on the blade didn't always last during serious use.
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Can you match this knife to J Russel Green River Works in any way? Do you think this knife was made in the 80's? What do you got?
 
Anything indicated on the blade?
Does it say "Sheffield" anywhere on the blade? Looks like the US requirements to mark country of origin began in 1890-1 (then, the "Made in [country of origin]" began in 1914).
 
Model No. 6315 in the 1920's Russell catalog. Lots of other handle options. Things like that change constantly in the industry. I'm looking for my own product catalog from the 80's but I'm pretty sure I still have a box of those knives around with beech handles. On the other hand, I've seen lots of the Green River etched English knives but none of them were of that boning pattern.
 
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McMan said:
Anything indicated on the blade?
Does it say "Sheffield" anywhere on the blade? Looks like the US requirements to mark country of origin began in 1890-1 (then, the "Made in [country of origin]" began in 1914).
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Nothing is on the blade. I have seen another example a different pattern with brass rivets so a later knife. Pictures only so I don't know for sure.
 
Noodle Soup said:
Found my 1982's Russell dealers catalog. That would be one of the 2315 series then. Beech handles only.
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Boning knife, 8 1/2" blade, 13 1/2" over all, tapered tang hand forged?
When did Russell use steel rivets?
 
I must have missed the blade length. 7 1/2-inch could be either a trimming or heading knife. Different blade thickness. The Dexter line made a 8-inch boning in 82. There are also 8-inch filet knives of that general pattern. Handle wood and rivets changed many time over the years.
 
Desert Rat said:
Nothing is on the blade. I have seen another example a different pattern with brass rivets so a later knife. Pictures only so I don't know for sure.
Click to expand...
I would be surprised if this was from Sheffield. Most Sheffield stuff--knives, tools, saws--was stamped, and this was part of a earlier practices that pre-date export stamping. AFAIK, British patterns for old boning knives were also slight different (though hopefully someone who knows more about old British knives can chime in).
Regardless, if US-made, I think the tapered tang is a good clue as to dating...
 
McMan said:
I would be surprised if this was from Sheffield. Most Sheffield stuff--knives, tools, saws--was stamped, and this was part of a earlier practices that pre-date export stamping. AFAIK, British patterns for old boning knives were also slight different (though hopefully someone who knows more about old British knives can chime in).
Regardless, if US-made, I think the tapered tang is a good clue as to dating...
Click to expand...
Very well could be an American maker, I don't know.
 
Noodle Soup said:
Going back to the 1920's Russell catalog I found a steaking knife and a boning knife with the same cocobolo handle, nickle silver rivets. They have the Green River handle stamp with the same spacing.
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Is that catalog on line?
 
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