Keen Kutter is a
trade name
A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...
first used by
Simmons Hardware Company
The Simmons Hardware Company was a hardware manufacturer based in St. Louis with locations in six states.
Staff
The founder of the company was Edward C. Simmons, who started the company in 1874 and retired in 1898.
The founder's son, George W ...
of
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
in 1866. The name was adopted as a
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
by Simmons Hardware Company in 1870 and was used on their highest quality tools and cutlery.
History
Simmons Hardware Company was purchased by arch rival
Shapleigh Hardware Company (also of St. Louis) in 1940. Shapleigh Hardware Company was known for their premium brand
Diamond Edge. After Shapleigh acquired the Keen Kutter trademark it was modified by replacing the "E.C. Simmons" in the top of the logo with Shapleigh's (Fig. 6). Shapleigh continued to use the trademark on products until they went out of business in 1960.
After several years the Keen Kutter trademark was sold to
Val-Test Distributors of
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, a wholesale hardware buyers' group. Val-Test allows smaller wholesale hardware companies to order goods. The orders are combined with orders from other hardware companies allowing for quantity discounts from manufactures. After Val-Test acquired the trademark, they removed the "Shapleigh's" leaving the top of the logo blank (Fig. 7). Throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, Keen Kutter knives were made for VAL-TEST by Schrade Cutlery Co. and in the 2000's, limited use of the Keen Kutter trademark was authorized for the manufacturer of knives by
Frost Cutlery Co. and Bear and Sons Cutlery Co.. These knives are currently distributed by VAL-TEST.
The Keen Kutter trademark is currently privately held.
Collectible interest
Items bearing the Keen Kutter trademark are considered collectible. There were numerous items produced which have
cross collectibility. Pocket knives, hand tools, railway locks, and advertising items from Keen Kutter are of interest to many collectors. Jerry and Elaine Heuring, authors of ''Collector's Guide To Keen Kutter'', have documented current values and general information in their books. ''The Hardware Companies Kollector's Klub'' founded in 1995 is another great source of information for Keen Kutter collectors.
The Hardware Companies Kollector's Klub
retrieved 4 August 2013
References
{{reflist
Trademarks
Companies based in St. Louis