Imperial Knife Company

Q I inherited my grandfather’s pocket knife. It’s embossed with an animal running through the woods and mountains in the background. The back is stamped ”Imperial, Prov. RI.” Can you give me its history?

A The Imperial Knife Company was founded by brothers Felix and Michael Mirando, who began making knives in a blacksmith shop in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1917. At first, the company made folding knife skeletons (knives with handles without covering material) for jewelers to use for pocket watch chains. The company began making inexpensive pocket knives with plastic handles in the 1920s. It became the largest knife manufacturer in the United States by 1940. Production shifted to trench knives and bayonets for the military during World War II. The company became part of the Imperial Knife Associated Companies Group in 1947. The name became Imperial Schrade Corporation in 1984. That company closed in 2004 and the name and trademarks were bought by Taylor Cutlery of Kingsport, Tennessee.