Info Needed on Police (Crowley Maritime Corporation)

[Kiwigunguy]

I just bought an interesting Police model and I was wondering if anyone had any solid information on it.
It's a 2nd generation stainless Police with a fully-serrated POLICE-marked ATS-55 blade and Boye dent.
The handle is where it gets interesting. It is marked ZERO OIL SPILLS-2001 and has the logo of Crowley Maritime Corporation.

According to Wikipedia, "Crowley Maritime Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Florida, and founded in 1892, is primarily a family and employee-owned marine solutions, energy and logistics services company that provides services in the U.S. and international markets. As of July 2016, the company was ranked as the 13th largest private company in Florida, employing approximately 5,300 people worldwide with revenue of $2.2 billion."

The seller had this to say about the knife:
"Spyderco Police Model knife from late 90s or early 2000.
Japanese ATS-55 serrated steel blade, with stainless steel handle.
Logo on the handle is from Crowley Maritime Corporation and I believe this knife was given to seamen after the successful recovery of a broken down oil tanker threatening to crash into the American coastline and risking causing a massive oil spill.
Knife is in a used but well cared for condition, I don’t really want to part with it but want the cash to buy more toys.
Not a common knife and very collectable."

And yes, I also laughed while reading the part about seamen...

If anyone knows more about this knife I would be happy to hear it. I Googled it and got nothing.

Enjoy the obligatory knife porn below. :)

[Kiwigunguy]

Here are the rest of the photos:

[tvenuto]

Pretty sure you should take the seller’s story at face value. Seems like a sensible explanation for the engraving. Engraving on SS handled Spydercos is common and doesn’t generally increase the value. I could buy a SS Delica, get it engraved with “tvenuto es numero uno!” And then list it on eBay as “ultra rare, only one ever made!” That doesn’t mean people will pay more for it. Now, that being said, the ATS-55 Spyderco knives are quite old and no longer available, so that could be a good reason to pick this up.

Long story short, if you like SS handled knives, this one will be a great user, and I know of at least one forum member who loves ATS-55 in SE, so probably not a bad buy in any case.

[Kiwigunguy]

Fair enough. I believed the story, as the explanation and the details of the knife all matched up.
It would be absurd for someone to go to those lengths to fake such a specific and unusual knife.
I was just surprised that I was the only person to have posted online about one of these.
With a company the size of Crowley there should be dozens, if not hundreds of these out there.
At least now anyone who gets one will be able to find this thread and post about theirs.

I am a big fan of the Police SS SE anyway. I believe it is one of Spyderco's meanest looking mass-produced knives.
I have greatly enjoyed watching it onscreen in Training Day, Fight Club, Hard Target, The Client, Parker, and many other films and TV shows.
The scene in Training Day where Denzel Washington uses it to threaten a suspect really gets across how intimidating it can be.

[The Deacon]

Fair enough. I believed the story, as the explanation and the details of the knife all matched up.
It would be absurd for someone to go to those lengths to fake such a specific and unusual knife.
I was just surprised that I was the only person to have posted online about one of these.
With a company the size of Crowley there should be dozens, if not hundreds of these out there.
At least now anyone who gets one will be able to find this thread and post about theirs.

I am a big fan of the Police SS SE anyway. I believe it is one of Spyderco's meanest looking mass-produced knives.
I have greatly enjoyed watching it onscreen in Training Day, Fight Club, Hard Target, The Client, Parker, and many other films and TV shows.
The scene in Training Day where Denzel Washington uses it to threaten a suspect really gets across how intimidating it can be.

They may only have been given to the people directly involved in that specific incident, so dozens is more likely than hundreds. Most of those could have been lost, worn out, or still reside in a dusty drawer at the recipient's home. Crowley could have purchased them directly from Spyderco and had them do the engraving, or they could have been purchased in a retail store and engraved by a trophy or print shop that did laser engraving.

[knivesandbooks]

Wish my employer would buy us all Spyderco knives.

[Kiwigunguy]

Wish my employer would buy us all Spyderco knives.

I couldn't agree more. I'm pretty sure we're all in the same boat on that one. :rolleyes:

[Sumdumguy]

I'm lucky, my boss buys all my Spydercos...