P. O. Box 511
Elm Grove, WI 53122
26 Years Strong
Winter 2010
Elm Grove, WI 53122
26 Years Strong
Winter 2010
Phone and Fax: 414-479-9765
Email: badgerknifeclub@aol.com
Web site: www.badgerknifeclub.org
Email: badgerknifeclub@aol.com
Web site: www.badgerknifeclub.org
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Club Meeting: Sunday January 31, 2010 - 7:00 p.m. |
| Future BKC Meeting Dates 2010 January 31, April 25, July 25, October 31 Hope to see you there! |
The next meeting of the Badger Knife Club
(BKC) will be Sunday, January 31 at 7 p.m. at
the Milwaukee County Council, Boy Scouts of
America, 330 S. 84 St., Milwaukee, WI (Exit 306
off I-94 at S. 84 St.). The meeting is held in the
PieperPower Learning Center, Lower Level.
We will have two Featured Programs at our
meeting. Life Member Tim Garrity will present
information and examples of knives referred to
as Theater Knives or Shop Knives generally
from the WWII era. Then Life Member Col. Joe
Fox will present each member present with a
Knife Eraser that can be used to clean up knives
that have some surface rust or blemishes. He
will show us how to properly use this eraser.
The Progressive Attendance prize has grown to
$15.00 because Dave Crema missed the
drawing at our last meeting. The Regular
Attendance Prize will be awarded to a lucky
member also.
Special THANK YOU to Col. Joe Fox, Keith
Jacobs, Gary Glowinski, Jake Jakus and a
friend of the Club for various donated knives and
other items for the club raffle.
Be sure to bring along an old knife that you might
want to experiment on with the Knife Eraser.
Also bring some knives you want to show off or
for trading or selling. Free coffee, apple juice
and donuts, as usual, to enjoy during the
meeting. See you at the meeting
2009 Club Knife
The 2009 Club Knives are in (at least most of
them)! Those that wanted their knife mailed, it
has been sent. If you did not want it mailed, you
can pick it up at the next meeting or call Bob
Schrap at (414) 771-6472 to arrange a time to
pick it up at his home.
2010 Club Knife
We will be reviewing and voting on the 2010
Badger Club Knife at the January meeting. Bob
Stachowicz has a selection of various knives as
possible candidates. If you have any ideas that
you would like to have considered, you can call
Bob at (262) 349-9828.
Book Review
The 7th Edition of Blades Guide to
Knives and Their Values
It has updated information and is a handy
valuation guide. The information in the book can
also help identify many different types and
brands of knives.
There are several new sections in the book,
including not only factory, but also handmade
and custom knives.
Every knife collector should have a copy of this
book in their reference library. The book has a
retail value of $29.99 from Krause Publication or
contact Col. Joe Fox, who may have some in his
inventory.
Club Dues
Check the mailing label for your renewal date. If
you received a dues statement with this
newsletter, please send in your dues right away.
You can pay one, two or three years at a time at
$5.00 per year. You can mail in your dues or pay
at the next meeting. Check to be made out to
Badger Knife Club. Your continued interest and
support is truly appreciated.
Bring dues to the meeting or mail to Badger
Knife Club at P. O. Box 511, Elm Grove, WI
53122. Please see the membership page of this
site to fill out your application. Thank you.
Club Pins and Patches
The Badger Knife Club pin and patch are
available for $5.00 each. Be sure to get yours at
the next meeting or at our show.
Upcoming Shows 2010
You can go to knife shows virtually every
weekend of the year somewhere in the U.S. If
you don’t get KNIFE WORLD each month, check
out their web site at www.knifeworld.com for a
complete listing. Here are a few in our area:
January 23-24: Gateway Area Knife Club Cutlery
Fair at Carpenters Hall in St. Louis, MO. Call
Mike at 314-388-9988
February 6-7: Wolverine Knife Collectors Club
Show at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, MI.
Call Pat at 586-786-5549
March 26, 27, 28: Annual Badger Knife
Show—Holiday Inn Express and Janesville
Conference Center. Contact Bob Schrap at
414-479-9765
Sword Exhibition
The Highland Park Historical Society will be the
site of a temporary exhibit of swords. There will
be a wide variety of swords on exhibit, including
antique Chinese, Prussian, Tibetan, Bhutanese,
India, African, Islamic and European. These are
all authentic, not reproductions and many are
very rare.
The exhibition is scheduled to open on March 27
and will run for several weeks. It will be held at
the Highland Park Historical Society at 326
Central Highland Park, IL 60035. Details are
posted on the web site www.highlandparkhistory.
com.
Believe it or not, you can read it!:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd
waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of
the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht
order the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can
stitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae
the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
(Editor’s comment: You try to type this—
automatic spell check and all!)
(BKC) will be Sunday, January 31 at 7 p.m. at
the Milwaukee County Council, Boy Scouts of
America, 330 S. 84 St., Milwaukee, WI (Exit 306
off I-94 at S. 84 St.). The meeting is held in the
PieperPower Learning Center, Lower Level.
We will have two Featured Programs at our
meeting. Life Member Tim Garrity will present
information and examples of knives referred to
as Theater Knives or Shop Knives generally
from the WWII era. Then Life Member Col. Joe
Fox will present each member present with a
Knife Eraser that can be used to clean up knives
that have some surface rust or blemishes. He
will show us how to properly use this eraser.
The Progressive Attendance prize has grown to
$15.00 because Dave Crema missed the
drawing at our last meeting. The Regular
Attendance Prize will be awarded to a lucky
member also.
Special THANK YOU to Col. Joe Fox, Keith
Jacobs, Gary Glowinski, Jake Jakus and a
friend of the Club for various donated knives and
other items for the club raffle.
Be sure to bring along an old knife that you might
want to experiment on with the Knife Eraser.
Also bring some knives you want to show off or
for trading or selling. Free coffee, apple juice
and donuts, as usual, to enjoy during the
meeting. See you at the meeting
2009 Club Knife
The 2009 Club Knives are in (at least most of
them)! Those that wanted their knife mailed, it
has been sent. If you did not want it mailed, you
can pick it up at the next meeting or call Bob
Schrap at (414) 771-6472 to arrange a time to
pick it up at his home.
2010 Club Knife
We will be reviewing and voting on the 2010
Badger Club Knife at the January meeting. Bob
Stachowicz has a selection of various knives as
possible candidates. If you have any ideas that
you would like to have considered, you can call
Bob at (262) 349-9828.
Book Review
The 7th Edition of Blades Guide to
Knives and Their Values
It has updated information and is a handy
valuation guide. The information in the book can
also help identify many different types and
brands of knives.
There are several new sections in the book,
including not only factory, but also handmade
and custom knives.
Every knife collector should have a copy of this
book in their reference library. The book has a
retail value of $29.99 from Krause Publication or
contact Col. Joe Fox, who may have some in his
inventory.
Club Dues
Check the mailing label for your renewal date. If
you received a dues statement with this
newsletter, please send in your dues right away.
You can pay one, two or three years at a time at
$5.00 per year. You can mail in your dues or pay
at the next meeting. Check to be made out to
Badger Knife Club. Your continued interest and
support is truly appreciated.
Bring dues to the meeting or mail to Badger
Knife Club at P. O. Box 511, Elm Grove, WI
53122. Please see the membership page of this
site to fill out your application. Thank you.
Club Pins and Patches
The Badger Knife Club pin and patch are
available for $5.00 each. Be sure to get yours at
the next meeting or at our show.
Upcoming Shows 2010
You can go to knife shows virtually every
weekend of the year somewhere in the U.S. If
you don’t get KNIFE WORLD each month, check
out their web site at www.knifeworld.com for a
complete listing. Here are a few in our area:
January 23-24: Gateway Area Knife Club Cutlery
Fair at Carpenters Hall in St. Louis, MO. Call
Mike at 314-388-9988
February 6-7: Wolverine Knife Collectors Club
Show at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, MI.
Call Pat at 586-786-5549
March 26, 27, 28: Annual Badger Knife
Show—Holiday Inn Express and Janesville
Conference Center. Contact Bob Schrap at
414-479-9765
Sword Exhibition
The Highland Park Historical Society will be the
site of a temporary exhibit of swords. There will
be a wide variety of swords on exhibit, including
antique Chinese, Prussian, Tibetan, Bhutanese,
India, African, Islamic and European. These are
all authentic, not reproductions and many are
very rare.
The exhibition is scheduled to open on March 27
and will run for several weeks. It will be held at
the Highland Park Historical Society at 326
Central Highland Park, IL 60035. Details are
posted on the web site www.highlandparkhistory.
com.
Believe it or not, you can read it!:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd
waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of
the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht
order the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can
stitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae
the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
(Editor’s comment: You try to type this—
automatic spell check and all!)
| Annual Badger Knife Show March 26, 27 & 28, 2010 |
Designed by BAKITUPDESIGNS
Heath Knives Return to Wisconsin
by Jake Jakus
After forty years of collecting Clarence "Pete"
Heath knives, Bill “BR” Hughes has sold his
collection of Heath knives and ephemera to me,
a Wisconsin native and Life Member of the
Badger Knife Club.
Hughes, the well-known writer and author of
numerous articles and books on knives, believes
it is the best and most complete collection of
Heath knives in the world. As he describes the
collection, it contains the most Heath knives any
one person owns and includes many one-of-a-
kind and custom ordered knives.
Since Bob Schrap, the president of the Badger
Knife Club, gave a presentation on Pete Heath
in 2001, I had been trying to buy Heath knives,
with little success. Bob suggested that I contact
Hughes to see if he would sell any of his Heath
knives. In 2008, armed with a small inheritance
from my mother, I decided to track down the
prominent BR Hughes.
I sent Hughes a letter and told him I wanted to
buy the “whole” collection and bring them back to
Wisconsin. As it turned out, he was away at a
show and at the same time thinking, “What am I
going to do with all those knives. I sure would
like to have them back in Wisconsin and to stay
intact.” When Hughes returned home from the
show, my letter was waiting for him! A list was
made, a price agreed upon and the knives were
mine.
The handle materials in the collection represent
almost every material Heath used, including
African Ebony, Brazilian rosewood, Cocobolo,
maple, walnut, Indian Sambar stag, Micarta, ox,
steer and water buffalo horn.
The steels included are mostly Columbia
Standard or Columbia Extra high carbon tool
steels, hand-forged by Heath. Later in his
career, Heath turned to using the stock removal
method with blades of 154CM and 440C
stainless steel and are also in the collection.
Blade lengths range from about 3.25 to 11.75
inches.
Hughes first contacted Pete Heath in 1969 and
he was fortunate enough to buy some knives
directly from Heath, including some custom
knives that Hughes designed. He was attracted
to collecting Heath knives because, in his words,
they were not readily found and when they were,
they were usually reasonably priced and
affordable. Hughes would save his money and
buy a knife. This pattern continued until he had
amassed the best Heath collection in the world!
Besides using his hard-earned cash, Hughes
also traded his skills in photography and
brochure design in exchange for a Heath knife or
two. Hughes advertised in most every major
knife publication and a few gun magazines,
which led to purchases. The rest he bought at
the numerous gun and knife shows that he
attended.
Collecting the Heath knives has been a labor of
love for Hughes and if it wasn't for his foresight,
we would not have the Heath history we have
today. Hughes saved his sales brochures,
photographs and all of his letters from Heath.
Each knife was saved with its sheath and any
documentation provided by Heath or the
previous owner.
When queried as to why he collected Heath
knives, Hughes simply said, “I liked Pete. After
he passed away in 1979 from cancer, his knives
remained reasonably priced. They were
affordable, but not too numerous to break the
bank. That made it interesting and a great
combination for a collector on a meager
teacher's salary.”
Save some money - buy a knife. What a life!
2010 BKC Knife Show
March 26 - 28, 2010
The 2010 Badger Knife Show has all the
indication of being another excellent show! The
175 tables have been sold out, with many of your
favorite vendors returning. There will be some
new vendors you will want to check out to see
what they have to offer.
Admission is still only $3.00. Remember, Club
members get in free, just bring your membership
card.
Life Member and one family member will get in
free.
Early Bird passes will again be available for
$20.00 and will allow you in before the show
opens to the members and public.
This is your show, so please plan on attending.
Help support the Badger Knife Club on March
26 to 28, 2010, at the Janesville Conference
Center in Janesville, WI.
Volunteers are needed to help at the
admission table and at the silent auction table.
Please volunteer by calling Bob Schrap at 414-
479-9765 or E-mail: badgerknifeclub@aol.com.
There are reduced room rates at the Holiday Inn
Express. Just call the Holiday Inn Express
directly at (608-756-3100 and mention the
Badger Knife Show.
10 Common Mistakes Knife
Collectors Make
Here are some points to keep in mind when
collecting knives (or most anything else). This
was authored by J. Bruce Boyles, Editor of
Knives Illustrated, September 2009 issue (Vol.
23 No. 9) based on collecting knives:
Mistake One: Buying on Emotion
Mistake Two: Lack of Research
Mistake Three: Buying with no Face (unknown
maker or no name)
Mistake Four: Not Understanding Why a Maker
is Popular
Mistake Five: Overestimating the
Customer/Maker Relationship
Mistake Six: Becoming a Target—Purchasing
History
Mistake Seven: Becoming a Target—Value—
Aftermarket
Mistake Eight: Becoming a Target—Internet
Mistake Nine: Paying Too Much
Mistake Ten: No Exit Strategy
Stay informed. Read everything. Knowledge is
money in your pocket. The opposite of
knowledge is ignorance—and ignorance can be
prohibitively expensive.
by Jake Jakus
After forty years of collecting Clarence "Pete"
Heath knives, Bill “BR” Hughes has sold his
collection of Heath knives and ephemera to me,
a Wisconsin native and Life Member of the
Badger Knife Club.
Hughes, the well-known writer and author of
numerous articles and books on knives, believes
it is the best and most complete collection of
Heath knives in the world. As he describes the
collection, it contains the most Heath knives any
one person owns and includes many one-of-a-
kind and custom ordered knives.
Since Bob Schrap, the president of the Badger
Knife Club, gave a presentation on Pete Heath
in 2001, I had been trying to buy Heath knives,
with little success. Bob suggested that I contact
Hughes to see if he would sell any of his Heath
knives. In 2008, armed with a small inheritance
from my mother, I decided to track down the
prominent BR Hughes.
I sent Hughes a letter and told him I wanted to
buy the “whole” collection and bring them back to
Wisconsin. As it turned out, he was away at a
show and at the same time thinking, “What am I
going to do with all those knives. I sure would
like to have them back in Wisconsin and to stay
intact.” When Hughes returned home from the
show, my letter was waiting for him! A list was
made, a price agreed upon and the knives were
mine.
The handle materials in the collection represent
almost every material Heath used, including
African Ebony, Brazilian rosewood, Cocobolo,
maple, walnut, Indian Sambar stag, Micarta, ox,
steer and water buffalo horn.
The steels included are mostly Columbia
Standard or Columbia Extra high carbon tool
steels, hand-forged by Heath. Later in his
career, Heath turned to using the stock removal
method with blades of 154CM and 440C
stainless steel and are also in the collection.
Blade lengths range from about 3.25 to 11.75
inches.
Hughes first contacted Pete Heath in 1969 and
he was fortunate enough to buy some knives
directly from Heath, including some custom
knives that Hughes designed. He was attracted
to collecting Heath knives because, in his words,
they were not readily found and when they were,
they were usually reasonably priced and
affordable. Hughes would save his money and
buy a knife. This pattern continued until he had
amassed the best Heath collection in the world!
Besides using his hard-earned cash, Hughes
also traded his skills in photography and
brochure design in exchange for a Heath knife or
two. Hughes advertised in most every major
knife publication and a few gun magazines,
which led to purchases. The rest he bought at
the numerous gun and knife shows that he
attended.
Collecting the Heath knives has been a labor of
love for Hughes and if it wasn't for his foresight,
we would not have the Heath history we have
today. Hughes saved his sales brochures,
photographs and all of his letters from Heath.
Each knife was saved with its sheath and any
documentation provided by Heath or the
previous owner.
When queried as to why he collected Heath
knives, Hughes simply said, “I liked Pete. After
he passed away in 1979 from cancer, his knives
remained reasonably priced. They were
affordable, but not too numerous to break the
bank. That made it interesting and a great
combination for a collector on a meager
teacher's salary.”
Save some money - buy a knife. What a life!
2010 BKC Knife Show
March 26 - 28, 2010
The 2010 Badger Knife Show has all the
indication of being another excellent show! The
175 tables have been sold out, with many of your
favorite vendors returning. There will be some
new vendors you will want to check out to see
what they have to offer.
Admission is still only $3.00. Remember, Club
members get in free, just bring your membership
card.
Life Member and one family member will get in
free.
Early Bird passes will again be available for
$20.00 and will allow you in before the show
opens to the members and public.
This is your show, so please plan on attending.
Help support the Badger Knife Club on March
26 to 28, 2010, at the Janesville Conference
Center in Janesville, WI.
Volunteers are needed to help at the
admission table and at the silent auction table.
Please volunteer by calling Bob Schrap at 414-
479-9765 or E-mail: badgerknifeclub@aol.com.
There are reduced room rates at the Holiday Inn
Express. Just call the Holiday Inn Express
directly at (608-756-3100 and mention the
Badger Knife Show.
10 Common Mistakes Knife
Collectors Make
Here are some points to keep in mind when
collecting knives (or most anything else). This
was authored by J. Bruce Boyles, Editor of
Knives Illustrated, September 2009 issue (Vol.
23 No. 9) based on collecting knives:
Mistake One: Buying on Emotion
Mistake Two: Lack of Research
Mistake Three: Buying with no Face (unknown
maker or no name)
Mistake Four: Not Understanding Why a Maker
is Popular
Mistake Five: Overestimating the
Customer/Maker Relationship
Mistake Six: Becoming a Target—Purchasing
History
Mistake Seven: Becoming a Target—Value—
Aftermarket
Mistake Eight: Becoming a Target—Internet
Mistake Nine: Paying Too Much
Mistake Ten: No Exit Strategy
Stay informed. Read everything. Knowledge is
money in your pocket. The opposite of
knowledge is ignorance—and ignorance can be
prohibitively expensive.
| Annual Badger Knife Show March 26, 27 and 28, 2010 |