1960s set of Customized BUCK Hunters

bernard_levine

bernard_levine

Platinum Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2000
Messages
16,473
Sometimes it pays to go to the Post Office.

This set was in my PO Box today.

It was inherited by a gent in Idaho.

He is pretty sure there was originally more to the set -- at least another sheath, maybe with another knife.

But what's left ain't bad.

*

Three BUCK knives made circa 1962-1968 (correct me if I'm wrong).

Model 105. Model 120. Model 103.

Blades lightly sharpened. Initals in the butt end of the 105.

Black phenolic handles. Brown spacers.

Look to be pinned pommels (not barrel-nuts) but the pins are concealed by the cord.

Grips customized by the original owner with nice cord work.

Truly strange double-sided double-ended sheath for the two smaller knives, saddlemaker's work.

I need to come up with a ballpark value.

I will appreciate any help.

Thanks! :D

BRL...

bucks3-knives-side-a-01a1.jpg


bucks3-knives-side-b-01a1.jpg


bucks3-sheath-side-a-01a1.jpg


bucks3-sheath-side-c-01a1.jpg


bucks3-sheath-side-b-01a1.jpg


*
 
My!!! I have no idea what pictures Bernard has posted here...but he is evidently a rich man, with money to burn for bandwidth...[jk]... :D
 
Nice pics. The sheath is unusual but it would be a good space saving design for throwing two knives into a pack. I assume it fits the 103 and 105?
 
Yes, the 103 in the shorter pocket, the 105 in the longer. They both 'pop' in, would not fall out if one forgot to snap the flaps. Obviously made to fit them.

re: bandwidth. It costs me $7.95 per month for web hosting, including 350 Gigabytes of storage plus virtually unlimited usage. You just gotta know how to shop. hint: www.lunarpages.com

BRL...
 
Hello Mr. Levine, nice to have you here! :)
I took a look at the pictures and the top knife, a 105, looks to be a barrel nut. If you look at the handle spacer thickness, that is the giveaway. Those are actually thick leather spacers, a technique left over from when the knives were totally handmade. Buck quickly switched to bone hard fiber so knives with leather spacers are hard to find today.
The other knives might be barrel nut as well and a quick look at the end of the pommel should help determine that. A pea sized circle there indicates the use of a barrel nut.
The spacers on the 103 & 120 are bone hard fiber, used from about 1962 to late 1969. Since the stamp only says BUCK, that narrows it down to 1962 to about 1966.
IMHO, since the custom handle work, which looks awesome by the way, was not done by Buck, the value for them would be the same as for any other Buck knife from that vintage. Missing the original sheaths may hurt the value some although that custom sheath looks top notch.
As to the values, hopefully others will chime in and we can get a concensus but I would say a 105 barrel nut with leather spacers and no sheath would be worth about $225. A 120 barrel nut with bone hard spacers and no sheath would be worth close to the same, maybe $175-$200 due to how popular that model is.
The 103 Barrel nut with bone hard fiber spacers might be worth close to $175.
To throw out a total guess as to the value of the 105/103 together in that cool sheath...maybe $350-$400. Sometimes the sum of the parts equals more than the whole, sometimes it doesn't. Pretty profound eh? ;)
I hope this helps.
 
Thanks Mr Houser!

I will try to get scans of the pommel ends, but they look completely smooth, no sign of the round plugs on any of them. Sometimes a scan reveals more than direct examination.

BRL...

P.S. I quoted you in KNIFE WORLD re that Frank Buck knuckle knife I asked about some time ago.
 
chickentrax said:
My!!! I have no idea what pictures Bernard has posted here...but he is evidently a rich man, with money to burn for bandwidth...[jk]... :D
Click to expand...

Hey Trax they are really big pic's. Even bigger than my watermelon pic's.
They are very nice looking one liner's .You should see them.:D
Just kidding.
Hawkeye
 
Very nice knives,the handle wraps remind me of Chinese handcuffs.
The 105 looks like a barrel nut.
If pics donot show the plug in the end of the pommels,try the old
rub the end of the pommel on your pants leg to heat it up and breath on it
like you would on eye glasses to moisten them before wiping them clean.
The plug or pin should show for a split second.
Joe is on with his prices.
Love that custom made sheath,must be made for backpacking
as I see no belt loops or slit.
 
FINALLY I got around to scanning the pommels of these three knives.

As you-all predicted, the 105 does have a round plug, indicating a barrel nut inside.

bucks3-knives-105-butt.jpg



*

The other two do not appear to have such plugs:

bucks3-knives-103-120-butt.jpg


* * *

The owner has asked me to sell this set for him.

BRL...
 
Can anybody tell me how you do that braid effect? I have several knives that would really benefit from that treatment.
 
good scans there!
tell your mrs for me that karen is doing better with less pain and alowed to walk for sort times again...
.. thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top