Knife

The place to ask your Cracker Jack Prize questions. (Open to All)
Post Reply
Brent
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:10 pm

Knife

Post by Brent »

I recently obtained a trunk that belonged to my Great-Great Grandfather. One of the things I found in it was a single blade, one inch knife. The knife appears to have a bone handle, a blade that is approximately 3/4" long and a metal loop on one end to attach a key chain or a string. Someone suggested that the knife could have come from a Cracker Jack box. I know the knife existed before 1956. Can anyone help me? Thank you in advance. Brent
dianep2
Posts: 1192
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:47 pm
Location: Petoskey, Michigan

Re: Knife

Post by dianep2 »

Hi Brent,

Thank you for your inquiry and welcome to the CJCA forums. I waited a few days to reply to your message because I was hoping one of our more learned Cracker Jack collectors would read your message and reply. Here is my take on your knife, although I am far from being an expert. Is your knife a pocket knife? If it looks like the ones I have attached below, then yes, it is most likely a Cracker Jack prize since I believe mine to be. I am curious. Does yours have any markings? As you can see, my red one is marked "Hong Kong" on the handle and the yellow knife is marked "Made in --------" on the blade. I can't read the name of the country. It could also be Hong Kong. You said you thought your knife was probably from the 1950's or earlier. My sources tell me that the knives I have pictured below were prizes in the 60's. According to what I have read, there was also a small pocket knife prize in the 1930's but I have no idea what the dimensions were for that knife and I don't have one in my collection to picture for you. I do believe the blade was marked "Japan." I hope this information will be of some help to you.

Wow, so you have a trunk which belonged to your great-great grandfather! I know you will no doubt find many wonderful treasures in that precious piece of family history. Thank you for sharing one of them with all of us here at the Cracker Jack Collectors Association forums.

Yours truly,

Diane
CJCA Charter Member
scan0001.jpg
scan0001.jpg (18.52 KiB) Viewed 12181 times
Image
larrydw
Posts: 347
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:45 am
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Re: Knife

Post by larrydw »

Hello Brent,
Cracker Jack did have a variety of pocket knives as prizes and premiums (in the early days you could also send away for a full set of china dishes or a gun among other things). Back to the knives, there were some in the 1920s to 40s. There might have been some later and if so, they are probably from Hong Kong; the earlier knives were probably from Japan (marked and unmarked). Length would be about 1" and crudely made (i.e. they might be able to cut soft butter). Pearl handle sounds fancy - the fancier the handle and the better made the knife, the less likely it would be a Cracker Jack prize. Similar prizes were prizes in vending or gumball machines, trinkets, and on key chains.

If you could post a picture, it would be helpful; if not sounds like the knife is a "possible" prize. Welcome to the site and hope you find some useful info in the posts.
Image
DavidBatista
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:42 pm

Re: Knife

Post by DavidBatista »

Brent wrote:I recently obtained a trunk that belonged to my Great-Great Grandfather. One of the things I found in it was a single blade, one inch knife. The knife appears to have a bone handle, a blade that is approximately 3/4" long and a metal loop on one end to attach a key chain or a string. Someone suggested that the knife could have come from a Cracker Jack box. I know the knife existed before 1956. Can anyone help me? Thank you in advance. Brent
Interesting, can you post some pic here. Thanks.



___________________
I have a gift for enraging people, but if I ever bore you it will be with a knife.
pocket knives
Jeffrey Maxwell
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:48 pm
Location: Wellington KS

Re: Knife

Post by Jeffrey Maxwell »

I had a mother of pearl handle knife this size that came as a prize from a carnival game. They were produced cheaply and purchased in bulk.
Post Reply