It was the best of knives, it was the worst of ways to lose a knife…

So, they other day I reposted my old tale about the excellence in action that was George Gibson’s Menswear in Athens, Georgia. See: Fall of the House of Gibson.

A reader emailed me with a few questions and some information about the old shop. Therein, he mentioned that he still has a pocket knife he purchased about twenty years ago. That got my brain working. I replied that I too had once owned a knife from Gibson’s.

It was an awesome little work of art. In short, it was perfect and my favorite blade of all time. I own A LOT of knives. But none, none of them, compare to that little, 2 1/2 inch bladed gem.

For reasons I will soon disclose I cannot attach a picture. Nor can I find one on the web! (So maybe the AI takeover has a little ways to go?) Anyway, it was a small, simple knife, all steel construction, with a plain lock on the back (top) of the handle. It would have been ordinary, like so many good Bucks, etc. What set it apart were the stamps.

The handle, one side, has inlaid with a short series of New Zealand postage stamps. They each featured the picture of a trout. I cannot remember for the life of me exactly which stamp it was. I can’t even recall the maker – Svord?? maybe? Dunno… I cannot remember how much it cost, circa 1997, either. I imagine it was reasonable but not cheap – maybe $50-100. I do remember the stamps.

The stamp was likely this one:

NZPS/Pinterest.

It could have been this:

NZPS/Pinterest.

It could have been a similar stamp. Seeing these pictures you get the picture no doubt. It was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

And I lost it…

It had to be at the great institution that is Tweetsie Railroad, of which I have also previously raved, here.

In fact, I’m confident that my knife is probably still in the gravel beneath the Tilt-A-Whirl in the Country Fair section of the park. Tweetsie says, “Spin and spin, until this ride leaves you breathless and laughing.” You’ll certainly laugh until you realize that your knife flew out of your pocket while your child squealed with glee… I cursed over the matter. Sadly, I missed my knife, fish and all, only after I left and park closed.

I suppose that, if it is still there, then I could conceivably recover it. I imagine the elements these past, what – ten years? – have not been to kind. Is it better to let it go? Probably.

If you happen to read this, work in maintenance at Tweetsie, clean out under the Tilt-A-Whirl, and find the above-described knife, then please drop me an email.

The good news is that I got to, here, link together two of my favorite stories and places. Plus I got to share with you the reconstructed, approximated beauty of the blade.

Maybe Ebay has one. Gotta run.

*Safety note: Please check your pockets when attending fast-moving centripetal amusement rides. Laugh breathlessly.