Kissing crane kc49 rostfrei

[JLLostsoul]

Look for the two digit ones that say "Germany" on the blade. Those are the good, Italian made ones. And, of course, if you have any question about it, you can post a pic or a link of it here to be sure. If you are in a hurry, you can send me a PM.

And if the seller doesn't give the length in the description, here they are:

46 = 7"
47 = 8"
48 = 9"
49 =13"
45 = 14.75"

If you're wondering why they start over at the end like that, my only guess is that they didn't want to crack 50.

What year did they start & finish making them?

[JimBrown257]

I'm not entirely sure (I've always wished knives would have some indication of the year they were made). But, from what I have read, it seems like KC stilettos were first made about ~45 years ago. At least, that seems to be the oldest based on the "I got this X years ago" statements I've seen about KCs. And I believe procuction was moved to China about 10-12 years ago.

I would wait until someone with more knowledge chimes in, though, before passing any of that on as fact.

[Viking45]

I have a stag KC48 that is well over 30 years old. I bought it new and have kept it pristine all these years. The box is beat to heck but the knife is perfect.
It has GERMANY on both sides of the blade and on the medallion.

[JimBrown257]

I have a stag KC48 that is well over 30 years old. I bought it new and have kept it pristine all these years. The box is beat to heck but the knife is perfect.
It has GERMANY on both sides of the blade and on the medallion.

My 7" (maybe 15 years old) has Germany twice on the front and zero times on the back. And it has it on the logo.

Btw, do you have pic of the box? I'd like to see what an older one (the box, I mean) looks like.

[Viking45]

I have a stag KC48 that is well over 30 years old. I bought it new and have kept it pristine all these years. The box is beat to heck but the knife is perfect.
It has GERMANY on both sides of the blade and on the medallion.

My 7" (maybe 15 years old) has Germany twice on the front and zero times on the back. And it has it on the logo.

Btw, do you have pic of the box? I'd like to see what an older one (the box, I mean) looks like.

I don't have a pic but will take some tomorrow of the knife and box. 350 dollar Nikon camera and can't take a decent picture of a knife or any of the junk I have sold on e-Bay
The box is similar to ones I have seen in the last 20 years or more- Light and dark gold diamond pattern with the two cranes and a red banner with Kissing Cranes going into a red band with QUALITY SINCE 1834
I was told by an old man back many years ago some of these were made as far back as the late 60's early 70's and sat in a warehouse for years before being sold to businesses that would put those ads in back of sportsman magazines and catalog-type companies.
Pretty sure I bought mine in 80/81.
The stamps on mine are nice and deep,front has KISSING CRANES(in an arch) over two cranes and GERMANY below and the back has KC48 over ROSTFREI and GERMANY below. The medallion says Kissing Cranes Germany with the two birds.
By the way mine has a kris blade with gorgeous old school golden stag with real deep,dark ridges like the stag from the old days.

[JimBrown257]

I was told by an old man back many years ago some of these were made as far back as the late 60's early 70's and sat in a warehouse for years before being sold to businesses that would put those ads in back of sportsman magazines and catalog-type companies.
Pretty sure I bought mine in 80/81.

That seems consistent with what I have seen. I check out the vintage KCs on Ebay and I see people say "I got this knife X years ago." I've seen a lot of people say they got a KC ~45 years ago. I've never seen anyone say they got one before that.

The stamps on mine are nice and deep,front has KISSING CRANES(in an arch) over two cranes and GERMANY below and the back has KC48 over ROSTFREI and GERMANY below. The medallion says Kissing Cranes Germany with the two birds.
By the way mine has a kris blade with gorgeous old school golden stag with real deep,dark ridges like the stag from the old days.

That sounds awesome. A vintage with a kris and deep stag would probably be the most sought after KC out there. There was one on Ebay a little while ago with some of the most incredible stag I have ever seen. I was pretty surprised that it didn't sell for $100. I mean, a KC going for $100 is rare but it does happen. So if any KC would sell for $100, I would have thought it would be that one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KC49-13-Kissing ... true&rt=nc

Now I really want to see yours (and the box).

[Viking45]

Here is my KC48 and as usual I can't take a clear picture to save my life.
(just placed the Italian there for comparison,an older pre "Frank B" stamp)
In person the stag is gorgeous,the stamps are very deep and clear but as you can see I didn't bother cleaning the tarnished brass.
The knife may not be as pristine as I made it out to be but it has never been used or carried. There is a slight patina on the back spring but the blade has zero play and the brass pins are nicely peened.

I noticed the later KC knives do not have Germany stamped on the blades. I believe Bill is right,some of these may have been made in Maniago.
Can't say for certain but again mine has Germany stamped on both sides of the blade,on the medallion and the box says Solingen on two sides.
This leads me to believe this knife is possibly one of the older ones from the late 60's/early 70's.
The back liner covers the guards and the bolsters are solid unlike some of the modern Italian stilettos.

You can see the box is beat to heck and I even kept the tissue,it is in shambles but it is faintly printed Robert Klaas.

[JimBrown257]

That's a pretty cool one. Most of the ones you see with a kris are the newer, cheap Chinese ones. Those are the ones that don't say "Germany" on them.

The older ones, like yours, were made in Italy but sold by a German company (that's why they say Germany on the blade). I think all of the older, Italian-made manuals say Germany on them.

And as far as older boxes go, yours doesn't look too bad at all.

[Viking45]

Thanks bro. Yeah I love mine and wouldn't sell it for 100 bucks.
It may not be worth it but to me it has a lot of sentimental value.

The box is all but wore out but the stamps have changed and the quality has gone down hill...I'll treasure it German made or Italian.
I agree these may have been Italian made but I still question the German stamp and the tissue of mine said Robert Klaas still raises questions.
However I have never seen a knife in this category made in Germany. Our buddy Bill knows his business.

[JimBrown257]

If it were mine, I would polish the blades. A lot of people are of the mind that you should leave it as it gets with age but polished brass bolsters on a knife like that look awesome. And it's different than full restoration and, besides, the tarnish will be back soon enough.

[Viking45]

Like you say I could polish it and adore it for a few days but brass tarnishes so quickly,seems even faster after I clean it.
I have some fabulous Hubies,Pumas,Weidmannsheil's,Bokers and a few other German relics but to me polishing them is a redundant and ridiculous concept.
I oil my knives and clean them but keeping them polished....too lazy I guess.
It will be a different story once I build a display case,then I will keep them polished. I need to get a few buff pads for my Dremel then it may actually be fun.

No offense to either of these fine gentleman but I can only think of two fellers that would keep knives so pristine- One being Jim D,he has an exquisite German lever collection and his firearms are museum quality.Fingerprints are not an option for my friend Jim D.
Second John. If John saw a fingerprint on one of his knives the whole Eastern Seaboard shuts down.

Of course you guys know I kid and think the world of you both. Jim D with his cherry Marlin 39A really gets under my skin

[Belmont800]

I think it's a good looking knife, personally !

[JLLostsoul]

Well, my kc49 finally arrived. Beautiful knife. I'll definately be looking for more. I've just purchased a kc48, also with the wood handle. So now I'm waiting for it to arrive. I think I may be getting into a habit!

[JimBrown257]

That's the thing!it difficult to find this stuff in Australia.what got me interested in kissing crane stilettos was I saw 2 in 2 different shops,both Chinese made versions. That's when I started doing some research. Long story short, it was cheaper to buy the kc49 overseas and pay postage to Brisbane, than to buy a Chinese one in Brisbane!

When you have stuff sent to you from other countries, how often has customs looked inside the package.

I haven't really imported much, only 1fixed blade and this kc49 that I'm waiting on at the moment. I've tended to shy away from importing blades until now, but it's so hard to find this stuff in Australia! The fixed blade was a little bear claw that I've always wanted.

My friend in Germany always has me separate the blade and handle and send them separately. For a while, I thought he was being unnecessarily over-careful but last time, the German customs held the package and made him come in and open it in front of them. Fortunately, that package only had the blades in it so there was no problem. But if I had shipped the pieces together, they would have kept it. And worse, they might have flagged his name on future packages.

[Wickedroach]

I picked this blade up while on vacation in Alaska, I don’t know much about it and I’m finding it difficult to find solid info. Which has lead me here, I’m hoping someone here can help...
It has Rostfrei KC 45 on one side and what looks to be M. Italy stamped on the other. Kriss style blade, coca bola scales and, lock.... that’s about it.
If anyone can shed some more light and info on this and maybe a value, I’d be greatly appreciated.