For Christmas a couple of years ago, I received a new pocket knife from a good friend of mine.  It is a Granddaddy Russell Barlow and it is perfect for historical re-enactment.

According to Edson Barlow “John Russell is usually credited with being the first American to manufacture Barlow knives, although this is not certain. The John Russell Company, now the Russell Harrington Cutlery Company of Southbridge, Massachusetts, first made Barlow knives at their Greenfield, Massachusetts, factory in 1785. They were called the Russell Barlow knife and instead of the word BARLOW on the bolster, they were stamped with Russell’s mark, an R with an arrow through it. Today these Russell Barlows are valuable antiques.”  http://barlowgenealogy.com/Edson/barlowknife.html

Although this knife is marked Russell Green River on the blade, which is a different company than the original Russells, it carries the proper mark on the bolster.  I carry this knife in my bullet pouch while hunting and trekking as it makes a perfect second knife to my sheath knife.  Thanks Skinner for a great gift!