RARE (1912-1920) 'High Grade UNIVERSAL Cutlery' LF&C / 25 1/4" dealer display

Description

This dealer point of purchase display is a very rare find and is perfect for the Universal by LF&C pocket knife collectors out there. I have been tracking down this and one other particular dealer pocket knife display cases for two years and finally found this one and the suspected location of a full size 5 ft long 'Case Knife' floor display case which I am hoping is still there. I was able to secure this dealer display case for 24 pocket knives from 'High Grade Universal Cutlery Co. which, as you may know, is the trade name Universal used by Landers, Frary & Clark (LF&C).This unit measures 25 1/4 inches long x 14 3/4 inches high x 9 inches deep. It is about twice the size of the more common 10-12 knife cases of other brand knives.. It has 24 numbered price buttons with the lowest price being .20 cents and the highest being .25. I was able to run across some references suggesting that these prices are from the 1912 - early 1920s era. On another form I saw that Universal supplied knives to their dealers a dozen at a time per model and repair parts such as blades and back springs .  These mostly readable marked buttons correspond with 24 pigeon holes and storage in the back of the unit. Apparently the dealers also sold spare blades because I found a blade sleeve paper with instructions for knife and blade care (see the11th photo). I found this piece in the North Carolina Piedmont area. It was reported to have come out of a country store called Long's Store. There are four Long family lines in the area of the find but today I was able to deal with a descendant great grandson of the original store owners and he was a wealth of information. The family tradition tells of the store being opened around 1920, being operated for decades and finally being sold, lock stock and barrel, to a predominant business family in the area. I won't mention the name because I do believe this family still has the floor model Case Knife show case.
I have only ever owned a few if the LF&C pocket knives and also some kitchen knives all under the name Universal Cutlery Co. but I do have WW1 military fighting knives from 1917 and 1918.  If I am not mistaken there was a sales man six Universal kitchen/butcher knife roll-up display that auctioned for around ,700. a couple of years ago. I actually found one of Universal's early (late 1800s) knives but it is in rough shape not suitable for listing so I'll just have to keep it.
This display case is a hard to find
piece
of 'Made in the USA' cutlery history of pocket knives
.
There is nothing rare about finding newer knife dealer display cases but authentic historical units are always a rare find.   I hope it finds a place in your collection. This unit is a local pickup piece because of the original glass. I have found that friends who are traveling could make an excellent means of transporting this item direct to the buyer. Just a thought  but I have worked it out in the past with a large heavy unit that had to be taken from North Carolina to California.Thanks for looking and remember that this is a serious piece of history. Local Pickup is listed but I do package very well and might be able to arrange shipping of the buyer wants to pay the shipping cost . I have recently shipped a 24 knife SCHRADE USA dealer display case and it cost . to ship due to the size and weight and it also had a glass front panel and it just made it to the buyer with the glass in tact.. Until some one makes a shipping request I will leave this listed as a local pickup. I do have a slim hope of keeping this historical item in the area where it was used or in New Britton, Connecticut where the LF&C cutlery was made. . Thanks for looking.     Jim