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This site is dedicated to two things and to two of the most important people in the history of automatic knives... On the one hand, as the title suggests, this is the site of the most storied of Italian switchblades and the men who made it so: Jack Polincovsky, Patrizio Pasquale , and, most of all, the legendary Sam Polk; on the other is Sheldon Levy, creator, editor, and publisher of The Newsletter, the single most important publication in the entire history of automatic knives.
What Walter Halucha has wrought both at this site and in his knife production is truly impressive. Not only has he resurrected the legendary Latama and provided a source for Italian knives, both original and reproduction, he has given Sam Polk the limelight he so richly deserves. Sam may not have invented the Italian switchblade, but he did more than any other person to bring it to America and create its cachet as one of the icons of our cultural history. Sam’s life story - and that of his father - is among the most entertaining and uplifting you’re likely to encounter."
Dan Fuller The legend began... when, LATAMA, the shortened term for the Latin America Import Export Company, was founded by Jacob (Jack) Polincovsky shortly after the end of WWII. At that time Jack Polincovsky had connections in the garment business and went to Milan Italy to purchase silk and other material. French and the British buyers purchased all the material available. As a result, Jack Polincovsky attended another auction and purchased British surplus knives, English single carbon blade locking knives with plastic checkered handles. (see photo below)
During his trip, Jack Polincovsky learned that the cutlery industry was re-emerging in Maniago, Italy and explored the idea of manufacturing cutlery. Unknowingly, Mr. Polincovsky was unconsciously establishing the foundation of what was to become the greatest of all switchblade-manufacturing consortiums. While there was never really a LATAMA "factory," the home of Patriizio Pasquale (Master Craftsman) who was known for his Golden Hands, served as home base. There, Sam worked with Abraham Abramovits who played a key role in overseeing the production of LATAMA cutlery in Maniago.
In 1947, Sam (Polincovsky) Polk, was given the responsibility of running the company as CEO and traveling salesman for LATAMA. Beginning on Broadway in New York, Sam Polk sold his knives from coast to coast creating the legend that we know today. While LATAMA is primarily known for its switchblades, by 1950 the company had expanded into the promotional products business that included what is reverently and fondly referred to today as Gentlemen Knives
This knife was English made by more than one company under contract for the military during WW2. A few examples have been found with the name “Joseph Rodgers and Sons” on the blade, but most are found with no name as was common with many military knives. This model was made specifically for the “Special Armed Forces” and possibly also used by the French Resistance. The large folding blade has a back lock and the small curved blade was designed for slashing the walls of tires. The checkered black handles were either made of Bakelite or Bexoid.
Jack Polincovsky bought a surplus of these knives after the war which launched the legendary Latama Cutlery. Neal Punchard:
Every collection starts and continues because of two factors: Interest and Inspiration....
"My own interest in automatic knives was born in Mexico in the early 1970s with the purchase of a “Rizzuto Estileto” switchblade. While a little sub par by today’s standards, it was the genuine article at that time. An assortment of common American and European automatics followed for a decade until 1982 when “An Introduction To Switchblade Knives” was published by Ben and Lowell Myers. With many beautiful and exotic knives shown from all corners of the world, it was my first real inspiration.
Although “An Introduction To Switchblades” was a great milestone, it lacked in hard research and history. What the mostly underground society of switchblade collectors really needed was some form of publication devoted to spring steel. This void was filled in 1992 with the debut of “The Newsletter”. Sheldon Levy was the sole creator, publisher, editor, and art director of this fledgling information source which focused on all forms of automatic knives. As with most publications it started small and humble, but soon grew into a great publication. With the likes of Brad West and Mario as contributors, wonderful examples were shown and described in accurate detail. The Newsletter upped the ante with the addition of Dan Fuller as a contributing author. Dan wrote wonderful articles on the social aspects of this odd hobby which provided great depth beyond the knives themselves. My interest grew dramatically when Professor Pete McMickle came on board. Pete wrote outstanding articles on the oldest and rarest switchblades that were known to exist.
Sheldon was not just the guy in charge, but also a researcher and author himself. He wrote on a variety of different types of automatic knives and made great advances in the overall knowledge of Italian cutlery in particular. My hats off to Sheldon for putting this ten year run of invaluable work together. Thanks for the information and inspiration".Tim Zinser:
I will enjoy my collection of Newsletters for many years to come. I will also say from the bottom of my heart, thank you Sheldon for the most comprehensive compilation of switchblade information to ever be published.
"Like many others that I know, the very first thing I did when I got hooked up to the internet in 1996 was to type “switchblade” into a search engine. The first hit I explored was the loaded with Italian stilettos, and next was offering the wonderful Hubertus knives that I had loved for years. Needless to say they must have been glad I found them! The third hit I explored, however, was perhaps the most exciting for me of all. I love information about the objects I love almost as much as the objects themselves, and the web page for the Automatic Knife Resource Guide and Newsletter made me feel as if I struck gold. Within 5 minutes of discovering the site, I was on the phone with Sheldon, subscribing, and ordering all of the back issues that were available from the first few years. When that package arrived, I was in heaven.
I looked forward to each issue, and when I received it, everything stopped until I had read it. To be asked to contribute those last few years was an honor, and icing on the cake. I have been a contributor to a quarterly publication ever since, and I can say from experience that it is not easy to come up with interesting topics four times a year, so to come up with an entire issue with that frequency is no small feat. To do so for 11 years is extraordinary.
We were all sad to see our Newsletters stop coming, but as they say, all things must pass." -->