Hey everyone. Great looking Forum you have. I have been lurking around here for awhile, as I did over on the KFC. Don?t post very often, as I don?t have much to contribute. Looks like this is now the place to ask if you have any questions.
Well let me start by saying I did not bring home a big buck this year. Got close to few smaller bucks with my bow, and did take a nice fat doe on the last day of my hunt with a rifle. Got to have some meat for the freezer. As always a great time was had by all.
One evening we were all in my buddies basement shooting the ####, telling stories as all deer hunters are known to do. One of my buddy?s neighbors picks up a Marble?s knife of mine, and as he?s admiring it says he has an old folding style Marble?s knife that he?s had for years. I ask him to describe it in more detail, and I am sure it is Marble?s Safety Knife probably with Stag handles. I inform him that this could be a very collectible and possibly valuable knife. ?Really?? he says. And then very matter of factly asks me if I?d ever heard of a ?Randall? knife. He then said, and I paraphrase, ?Oh yea, me and my Dad used to do some work for Bo over at his place on Walloon Lake.?
After I picked my jaw up off the table, I asked him who exactly he meant by ?Bo? and yes, it was indeed Bo Randall he had worked for. He said they had a real nice place right on ?Randall Point?. He then proceeded to tell me that along with the old Marble?s knife, HE ALSO HAD AN OLD RANDALL.
To say I was excited would be an understatement. I told him we had to get together before I left, because I was very interested in these knives.
He expressed some interest in possibly selling the Randall, and I told him I would not have a clue on its possible value, but if he would trust me with it, I could get the opinions of some of the most knowledgeable Randall people in the world.
So here it is.
I'll leave it up to the experts here, but I hate to say it looks like the knife might have been altered at one time. The upper edge is sharpened. I know I have never seen a Randall with this blade design, but I hope I'm wrong. The sheath is a brown button Heiser with no markings whatsoever on the back. I thought most Randall sheaths were marked with the model # and blade length or other info about the knife.
Here are some other pics.
My guess is the handle is ivory, but again I will leave that up to you guys.
Any info on a date of manufacture, and/or possible range of a value would be much appreciated.
And a few more.
And a few of the sheath.
Sorry to be so long-winded. Any and all comments are appreciated and welcome. Please ask questions if you might have any, and additional pictures can be provided if necessary. Thanks in advance for your help.
willhunt
P.S. I forgot to mention that the knife is engraved with the name FRED H. GILMAN. Don't know if this helps with an ID, but I thought I'd post it. Thanks.