It is my honor, privilege, and pleasure to welcome you to The Newsletter Archives.

The Newsletter is a unique compilation for the Switchblade/automatic knife fan. Sheldon Levy’s Newsletter was first published in 1992 was a labor of love from its inception and has remained an informative and insightful for each and every issue of its 11 year run.

The Newsletter became the central meeting place for collectors and the ONLY source of information for automatics. Sheldon offered a forum and a clubhouse for collectors, devotees, and aficionados the world of spring steel, as we know it today.

Each of the 45 issues contained terrific photographs, informative articles, maintenance and repair tips, the latest trends, and resources of all kinds of automatic knives.

Switchblades or stilettos evoke a remarkable image in our culture. They represent design, power, and a sense of danger and romance. My passion for switchblades, especially the Italian Stiletto began many years ago when I was a kid growing up in Queens, New York. As a boy I would take the train from Flushing to Times Square without telling my mother and window shopped for stilettos. Back in the early 1950’s LATAMA switchblades were prominently displayed in souvenir shops and cutlery store windows in the heart of Times Square. Hundreds of every size and scale variation astounded and enthralled me. I was a kid in a candy store.

Even then, I knew that there was something very special about these quality knives. I had the opportunity to fire one of the LATAMA’S and I was hooked for life on the sound and authority when I pressed that magic button and first heard that unforgettable and enticing sound of the blade snapping open and locking into place. It was initially an unrequited love affair because I wasn’t old enough and couldn’t afford a switchblade. Plus, if my mother had found it she may have done me in with my own knife (just kidding).

Before Sheldon and The Newsletter my passion was a solitary one; there was no one that I could talk to or share with. I grew up, married, had three kids, and had a career in advertising. My passion for switchblades subsided but was never extinguished. Then The Newsletter came along. Sheldon was the Godfather of collecting Italian switchblades. He made me realize that there were lots of people who shared my passion, which was rekindled and blossomed. As Sheldon used to say “Gad zooks!” I became a collector and I’ve never stopped.

We’re taking advantage of the Internet to reunite the older collectors and to gather those that were not around when The Newsletter was being published. We’re bringing back those memorable articles with original photographs in place. You will get an idea of things to come with this first selection of articles. In addition to offering rare vintage knives and new knives for sale, we will be adding interesting, rare, historical and priceless information and photos from the archives of the Newsletter frequently, so check back often.

The Newsletter Archives is sponsored by the revolutionary Quick Release lubricant, the only lubricant developed exclusively for knives.

Welcome to a very special place, The Newsletter Archives!

Walt Halucha, founder, latama.net

In early 1992, spring steel became an object of my fascination. For the record however, this was not a novel fascination. As a kid in the 1950’s, I’d been seduced by the colorful counter displays at local hardware stores offering an array of Sure-Snaps and Schrade double-enders along with the Imperial push-buttons that were as ubiquitous as leaders and weights in our fishing tackle boxes.

Unfortunately however, the intervening years had demonized such a simple concept, an incredibly useful tool that could be utilized by one hand while the other was perhaps holding a piece of rope, cardboard or errant thread, was now seen by many as an iconic weapon — too vile, too dangerous, with no redeeming value in contemporary society. After re-discovering a couple older knives from my youth, I was curious to see if there were others who shared my fascination for these mechanical wonders. Well, gad zooks! Not only were the knives themselves as scarce as hen’s teeth, any information on the subject was elusive as well.

After making a couple of finds and diligently backtracking only fueled my interest in learning more. I decided to create my own venue and cast a wide net in the form of display ads in a dozen or so publications I felt would yield the best results. For those of you not looking for spring steel sixteen years ago, here’s what I went up against—Two of the most prominent knife publications at the time refused my ads because I used the word “switchblade” in it. After some negotiations, a third publication let me go with “automatic” instead. It didn’t take long, but the response was most gratifying. I heard from like-minded fans from all over the planet.

THE NEWSLETTER began as a labor of love and remained so. While it provided me with a wealth of information, I gained the most joy from sharing that information and providing a nexus to bring others together. I am so tempted to acknowledge the individuals who were so generous with their time, energy and collections—All of which contributed to the unique resource THE NEWSLETTER became. However, while many wished to share their passion anonymously, others ambivalent and some unabashedly seeking credit—All have earned my deepest respect and gratitude. (Plus after all these years I’d feel terrible if I left anyone out).

So the rest as they say is history, and THE NEWSLETTER is a vibrant collection of switchblade history. For myself however, I am passing torch here—The very mantle that is THE NEWSLETTER and all it has been so that the work of all those years and the many that contributed to making it happen can be both discovered and rediscovered by fans of spring steel.

From your humble editor, Enjoy."

Dan Fuller:
About Sheldon Levy, who allowed me to express my opinions and experiences for eleven years - and learn about switchblades on the job, not enough has been put on record.

"Before The Newsletter, there was essentially nothing; after it, the world of automatic knife collecting grew into the little giant that it now is. When I answered the ad in Shotgun News requesting a sample copy of this new switchblade publication, I could not have imagined the influence it would have upon my life. Not only have I co-authored a book, but I have published in three knife publications and delivered four academic papers on the subject. And many of my very best friends would have remained unknown to me forever. Sheldon was the godfather of it all. He took a huge chance in many ways when he started publication, and he has certainly earned the title of “Father of the Switchblade Renaissance.”

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."

The origins of the traditional Italian-styled switchblade is one of those elusive, often asked details. THE NEWSLETTER has presented some picklocks over the years where an educated guess provided a prewar origin. Well Dear Readers, the 33cm picklock on this issue's cover is an honest-to-goodness, without a doubt, MOST vintage, pre- WWII, Italian style switchblade.

This beautifully struck, crisp tang stamp, "PREMIA T A, SOCIETA -COOP, MANIAGO" was the designation of a group of knifemakers from Maniago, Italy. A lavishly researched account of Maniago's cutlery manufacturing history refers to the origins of this tang stamp, used by its makers from 1920 to 1923.