Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.

Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. was Chicago's great hardware wholesaler, founded in 1855, and OVB, for Our Very Best, was its premium house brand from the 1890s. Like Simmons and Belknap, the company did not make knives; it had them made to its specification by established cutleries and sold them through hardware stores across the Midwest. The firm later became True Value. OVB knives are collected as a window into American hardware-store cutlery.

We have an antique OVB 061 pocket knife. Hardware-brand knives are often well made and under-priced next to the maker's own stamp, which is part of their appeal.