Osborne "X" knives

[billybopp]

For all the tool experts here:  I often look around at round knives on eBay and elsewhere on the big bad internet, and often see round knives by CS Osborne, and occasionally other makers marked with an X, XX, or XXX.   Does anybody have a clue what, if anything, those marks mean??

 

Bill

[bruce johnson]

Some people think it was a quality grade - umm, no. In the old catalogs it was a size mark for the #70 round knives. I work from a 1897 copy mostly.  The "small" was 5", the "usual" was 6", "X" was 6-1/2", "XX" was 6-3/4", The "XXX" was 7". They also list extra large knives to order.They do list a 2nd quality knife but only in 6".

[billybopp]

Thanks!    I knew that somebody here could shed some light on the matter.