Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pocket Knife by Richards in Shefield, England

 Every now and then you find a good deal on vintage knives.  Today was one of those days.  Between a flea market and the antique store next door I scored a total of six pocket knives. Not all are high-end collector items, but they are interesting as vintage pieces.  I'll devote one post to each knife. 

 The list price on this knife was $12.50, but the vendor was marking everything down 35%, so it only cost me $8.13.  Online it sells anywhere from $8 to over $20, so not a huge collector's item, I suppose, but they are collectable nonetheless.  It appears to have been made from the mid to late 1970s.  Richards of Shefield was a major 20th-century knife company well-known for mass-producing affordable pocket knives and scissors.   The company ceased operations in 1983.  It was founded in the 1930s by two German brothers, Paul and Stefan Richartz, who immigrated from the renowned cutlery town of Solingen, Germany.  Richards was eventually acquired by Imperial.  One should not confuse this company with Richardson Shefield, which produces high-end kitchen knives.  

The tools in the knife, as you can see in the photo is similar to many multi tool type pocket knives of this era such as the Boy Scout knife and the famous U.S. Army Utility Demo Knife manufactured by Camillus, which utilized a main spear-point blade, a can opener and a screwdriver/cap lifter.