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Nineteen forty eight was a very good year. I was 12 years old, growing hair under my arms and rapidly discovering what made girls special. But more importantly, it was the year I bought my first Winchester and my first MARBLE'S knife.
In the late 1940s, MARBLE'S Ideal had reached a level of perfection that made it the world's most collected and most copied design. (Knife: Dave Shirley)
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The Winchester came easily. Alleys were our pathways to school; not because alleys were shortcuts, but because sidewalks didn't have trash cans. Alley picking we called it--sort of a free rummage sale.
Most of our finds were junk until the day I spotted a garbage can with a gun barrel sticking out. It was a complete Model '76 Winchester nearly as long as I was tall. Thinking a gun in the garbage had to be a mistake, I lugged it around to the front of the house and knocked.
"This was in your garbage can, Sir. Can I keep it?"
He took the gun and scowled at me. "My Old Lady must have threw it out." Then, as I turned to leave, he added,
"You can have it for three bucks if you want."
I was late for school that day. Told the Principal I was helping an old man with his garbage.
The Marble's knife came harder. To begin with, my parents didn't like knives. Odd, I thought, for we had plenty of guns in the house and I had been hunting with my father since I was 10. But knives were sneaky things; creatures of the night my father called them and far too dangerous for a boy. Reminding him that I was shaving once a week did not impress him.
There was also the problem of supply and demand. Although MARBLE'S postwar production was up to speed, there was a shortage of the knife I wanted: a 6 inch stag-on-stag Ideal. The few that exited the factory sold quickly and for a hefty $5.00. Where would I get that kind of money?
My paper route generated less than a dollar a week and I needed most of it for B.Bs, bubble gum and bicycle tires. I already owed my mother three dollars for the Winchester and at the rate I was repaying her, I wouldn't be eligible for another loan until 1949.
A gift perhaps? Out of the question. Birthdays and Christmas were for practical gifts like shoes, socks and underwear. Best to forget about it. But I couldn't.
Then one day at dinner, my father made an astonishing announcement. "Delta Hardware is going out of business. Everything's on sale. " My appetite vanished. I knew the store had Marble's knives; I had seen them. Could they have a stag-on-stag and at what price?
After school the next day I hopped on my bike and tore downtown. People were hurrying in and out of the store like ants at a picnic. It was my first experience with a feeding frenzy; surely if there had been a stag-on-stag in the store someone had already gobbled it up.
Squeezing through the crowd I squatted in front of the knife case and squinted in. Far in the back, apparently unnoticed, was the most beautiful knife I had ever seen. Atop the case was a handwritten sign: "All knives half off."
Back on my bike and home. I ran to my room and snatched up every cent I could find. Not enough. Sister wasn't broke but she cried poor. Dad was at work. Mom was my only hope.
Was it an early Christmas present? I don't remember. All I recall is her driving me to the store and giving me $2.50 to buy the knife before it was gone. Small wonder boys love their mothers best.
Author with dog, girlfriend and stag-on-stag MARBLE'S knife. Who could ask for anything more?
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New, out of the box, smelling slightly of machine oil, it was the most precious object I ever owned. Hours passed before I could bear to put it in the sheath and out of sight. Slung on my belt, I hung it next to my bedroom door where I could see it as I fell asleep and dreamed of outdoor adventure.
To celebrate, my mother cooked a pork roast and I got to carve it with my new knife. In the excitement, I never thought to first wash the blade. Even drowned in gravy, every bite tasted like 3 IN 1 Oil. An omen perhaps, for like youth my first Marble's knife was too good to last.
But that's a story for another time.
© 2006 Arni Dunathan
Arni Dunathan is the author of the newly published collector's guide "The Encyclopedia of Marble's Knives and Sporting Collectables." |
