Latama, Real or Fake.

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dewings94
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:04 am

Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by dewings94 »

Hi, I have a latama, Switch blade, not surer if its real or a reproduction, Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you Don
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Jackalope
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Jackalope »

I don,'t remember ever seeing a stamp like that.
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Panzerfaust
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Panzerfaust »

I don't recall ever seeing a crooked Latama stamp, but the knife is original.
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john
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by john »

Looks genuine to me.
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Tom19176
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Tom19176 »

Strange stamp.....
button_man
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by button_man »

It's difficult for me to tell just from a photo, but the bolsters look like chrome-plate to me.... weren't all Latimas made with nickel-plated bolsters?

Also, this piece is incredibly clean -- if it's real, somebody would have had to purchase it 60+ years ago, wrap it up carefully, store it in their sock drawer, and never touch it. I guess there ARE some Lats out there in such condition; but the percentage must be pretty darn small. What do you know of the history of this particular knife?
button_man
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by button_man »

RE: photo #2

I just noticed something else.... the 'break' where the false edge begins is closer to the deployment button than the safety slide.
On my Lat the 'break' is closer to the safety, creating a much shorter false edge than you see on this knife.
I don't know if this is a universal "tell" but it seemed worth mentioning.
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Chris51P
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Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Chris51P »

Looks authentic to me. Latama stamps have had variations over the many years since the first one was produced. The Latama stamp on this knife is the same as one pictured in "Switchblades of Italy" on page 22. You have a very nice knife.
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Jackalope
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Jackalope »

The "L" looks different to me.
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Chris51P
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Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Chris51P »

Jackalope wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 3:18 pm The "L" looks different to me.
Doesn’t to me. I guess we’ll have to disagree.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Bill DeShivs »

No Latama stiletto bolsters were plated with anything.
The bolsters were/are made of nickel silver.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
dewings94
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by dewings94 »

That's for all the replays and info.
button_man
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by button_man »

Thanks Bill..... I stand corrected..... so, the question remains: What is the composition of the bolsters on this knife?
Perhaps the owner could weigh in here, and tell us whether the bolsters look like chrome or nickel.....
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by Bill DeShivs »

The bolsters are nickel silver. That's what they were made of.
Nickel silver looks different from both chrome or nickel-though when polished it looks closer to nickel.
The knife is original.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
dewings94
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Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:04 am

Re: Latama, Real or Fake.

Post by dewings94 »

Yes The bolsters are nickel silver, chrome has a different look. Also this knife was very clean..no pitting on blade. No shrinkage to the horn...must have been stored right. Thanks again for all the replays.
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