With dogged determination and a love of local history, Bradford’s Bob Baker has unearthed what he calls “the holy grail” of Case knife collecting.
It’s a cabinet from Little Valley, N.Y., the original home of Case Bros. knives, marked with their company’s early logo.
And as with most things involving Baker, there’s a heck of a story around it.
“This is a rare, one-of-a-kind Case Bros. Cutlery cabinet that dates back to the turn of the century,” Baker said. “I found this extraordinary cabinet less than 1 mile from the original Case Brothers Cutlery factory that burned to the ground in 1912.”
To tell that story, we have to start with this one.
“I’ve always been a bit of a picker,” Baker said, referring to his hobby of digging through overlooked spaces, negotiating for collectibles, and uncovering the history behind the items he finds. “And I really love history, especially local history.”
He collects several things, like license plates and Case knives, and items relating to the area’s past — like a theater poster from the old Shea’s Theatre in Bradford. Friendly and outgoing, Baker tends to befriend others he meets while buying or selling collectibles. One of those was Morris Lanning.
Baker gave the back story to the friendship: “I worked at Case for over a decade, from 1990 to 2001. I started there at the factory floor and was promoted 11 times in 11 years. I hold some patents for Case knives like the Hobo.”
Cool find. I am liking the increase in human interest type stories I am finding on my trawl.
Read the whole thing at BradfordEra.com