Apple Valley Knives is an outstanding resources for collectors of switchblade knives. It is run by Mark Erickson who has been a knife collector for 50 years. He is quite a historian when it comes to knives and is a leading authority. His love of knifes began when he was 8 years old. When he became old enough to buy them, Mark began collecting.
Mark says, “Knives were important tools for our ancestors and were used and enjoyed by people in all walks of life for the past 400+ years. Automatic knives have been designed for, and used by farmers, hunters, fishermen, secretaries, seamstresses, store clerks, people with disabilities including boy scouts and girl scouts and more. Part of the original design idea here in the United States in the late 1800s was to save on broken fingernails from opening pocket knives and to be able to open a knife in the cold while wearing gloves. The first switchblades made in Europe in the 1600s were actually made as playthings for royalty and the rich, so I guess there’s a bit of a novelty plaything aspect to them. They are definitely fun to play with and display.”
Erickson opened Apple Valley Knives in late 2023. It offers quite a variety of vintage switchblade knives, all ready to be ordered online and delivered. Under its digital roof, there are 100s of American switchblades, which is a specialty of Mark. You can also find Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Russian and more. Visit www.applevalleyknives.com