Sears sold switchblades.
Let that sink in a moment.
Sears sold Pressbutton Knife Company autos in the 1897 catalogue. Pressbutton was a division of Walden and George Schrade designed them. Other manufacturers like Challenge, Imperial, Ulster, eventually Schrade-Walden. In 1950 Sears offered a "Craftsman Push-Button Hunting Knife". Schrade-Walden manufactured the knife bearing the Craftsman brand etched on it.
Sears continued to sell a variety of switchblades until 1954 when New York, and other states, made the sale of switchblades illegal.
Credit to Knife Magazine May 2024 article written by Neal Punchard
Let that sink in a moment.
Sears sold Pressbutton Knife Company autos in the 1897 catalogue. Pressbutton was a division of Walden and George Schrade designed them. Other manufacturers like Challenge, Imperial, Ulster, eventually Schrade-Walden. In 1950 Sears offered a "Craftsman Push-Button Hunting Knife". Schrade-Walden manufactured the knife bearing the Craftsman brand etched on it.
Sears continued to sell a variety of switchblades until 1954 when New York, and other states, made the sale of switchblades illegal.
Credit to Knife Magazine May 2024 article written by Neal Punchard