Antique Diamond King Hone

Found in Rural Southern Illinois
Hone made in St. Louis early 1900's
in case with papers.
Weighs 7.8 oz
6" X 2"
Born January 10, 1810 in New Hampshire, Augustus F. Shapleigh made his
first excursion into the hardware business at the age of 15 in order to
contribute to the support of his family after his father's death. A brief bout of
wanderlust sent him to sea for the next three years.
In 1829, he took up a position as a hardware clerk with Rodger Brothers and
Company of Philadelphia, PA. In response to the great westward expansion,
this company opened a branch in St. Louis, MO. This hardware house,
known as Rodger, Shapleigh and Company opened in 1843.
Shapleigh Knife Display and Cracked Ice Pocket Knives
Collection of Mike Baker
An entrepreneur extraordinaire, Mr. Shapleigh quickly gained prominence
in the business community and the store flourished. Its first year inventory
exceeded $20,000.00--quite a substantial amount for the mid-1800's. In 1847,
the company reorganized as Shapleigh, Day and Company, due to the death of Mr. Rodger, the senior partner.
St. Louis was not only the gateway to the west, it was also the hub of the
wheels of industry and progress for the nation during these years and well
past 1900. The first traveling salesman went out from Shapleigh House in
1848. In 1852, the first steam railroad west of the Mississippi left from St.
Louis. The first Shapleigh catalog was published in 1853, basically as a
salesman's pricing book.
At Mr. Day's retirement in 1863, the name of the company became A.F.
Shapleigh and Co. The famous Diamond Edge trademark was adopted in 1864. The slogan, "Diamond Edge is a Quality Pledge", is said to have first
been used in 1909. Diamond Edge tools were the first line of edge tools
(knives, razors, axes, cutlery, etc.) in the United States to be covered by a
jobbers trademark
By the late 1800's, Shapleigh Hardware was a well-established, healthy and
successful enterprise. It incorporated under the name of A.F. Shapleigh and
Cantwell Hardware Company, with A.F. as the president. It published its
first general catalog featuring over 200 different items in 1880. Upon the
retirement of Mr. Cantwell in 1886, the firm became A.F. Shapleigh’s
company again.
Augustus Shapleigh took his retirement in 1900 and the company
reorganized in 1901. Another name change occurred. The new name was
Norvell-Shapleigh Hardware Company. Saunders Norvell was its president
for the next ten years. he was an extremely astute businessman, salesman and
knowledgeable hardware man.
Mr. Norvell had been part of Simmons Hardware for many years. It is
believed that his expertise and influence on that company was greatly
responsible for its success. With his less than cordial leave-taking, Simmons
Hardware started a downward slide from which it never recovered.
In addition to its famous Diamond Edge,other recognizable "house" brands
marketed by Shapleigh were Mound City, Norleigh Diamond, Diamond
Brand, Jersey, Panama, Ice Diamond, Bluebelle, Sageware, Black Jack, Red
Raven, King Nitro, Sahara, Black Prince, Blue Diamond, Rugby, Triumph,
Defiance, Black Wonder, Double Diamons, Mascot, Bull Dog, Ozark,
Columbia, Longwear, Mizzou and Bridges.
In 1918, the company became Shapleigh Hardware Company. They bought
the assets of Geller-Ward- Hasner in 1937. After the banckruptcy and closing
of Simmons Hardware, they bought its entire stock in 1940. At this time the
Keen Kutter and Diamond Edge trademarks were joined. Other items were
now marked Shapleigh' Keen Kutter, instead of E.C. Simmons Keen Kutter.
Shapleigh celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 1943. In 1955, the directors
sold the company to Curtis Mfg. Co. He continued to operate the business
under the Shapleigh Hardware name until closing in the early 1960's. ValTest owns the rights to the Keen Kutter and Diamond Edge logos today.
On the morning of February 3rd, 2024 in St. Louis, the Shapleigh Hardware Warehouse No. 3, a substantial 5-6 story structure spanning an entire city block in the city's Historical District became engulfed in a devastating 4-alarm fire and the building was a total loss.
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