!71UH Birds Head

tobyrogers

tobyrogers

Joined
Oct 8, 2005
Messages
786
I got this off Ebay,but haven't received it yet.The search must be down so does anyone know anything about the birds heads.Mr Clemente doesn't mention them.Toby
 
First year and a half (?) of the first production run. 1971-1983 Most have the pommel you are used to seeing, the big flat brass with the longer Staglon. All of these are Walden stamped. Do you have a serial number? Phil! Oh Phil! Come answer the man's questions about this here Pro Hunter!

Codger
 
Thanks Codger.I finally got the search function to work.Serial number is 02432.My question for Phil is on his,shown in the picture in the sticky,does the blade have Super Sharp etched on the blade.I can't quite make it out in the picture.If it does it answers another question from another thread as to dating.Toby
 
Then if they serialized from the introduction, you sir, have one of the first 2,500 made, possibly in 1971.

Codger
 
Whoa, big fellow! You could be dislexic and it is a 23420, or reading it upside down and it is a 5EH50!!!:D

Congrats Arnold. I've been trying to get one for quite a while. Irving and I share one for now.

Codger
 
Terrific knife, Toby! Actually, Robert Clemente does mention the early bird's head in his description of the 171UH: "... the very first production units up until 1973 had a unique handle...". The thing is, just like I didn't know until Larry showed me a pic of one, that it was a bird's head pommel that made it unique.

I have a couple of these, one is a user grade, that I had Paul make a sheath for. Both are what I call the 'Signature' issues, as they have the recessed, pebble finished area on the front of the guard, with 'Uncle Henry' signed in the usual script., the serial numbr on the other side. On the 'user', the tang markings are stamped in, very deep. On my other 171, which is near mint in the box, the tang markings are etched... as is the 'Schrade Super Sharp' on the blade. I wonder how many little nuances there are within the total 2 production runs of this knife?
Phil
 
Thanks Phil.That also answers a question about the Super Sharp being on the early Schrades.I've passed on a couple of good knives because I thought that etch was used on the later models.Now I know better.Oh well one clue at a time.Toby
 
Arnold, from what I am seeing in my research, the use of that etch was so sporadic as to make it near useless at this point in trying to fix production sequences. Maybe after fifty years of study and cataloging, or the emergence of the original factory production orders, some sense can be made from it, but for now, it is just and interesting detail like "innie and outie" bellybuttons.

Codger
 
I agree.What I was saying was I won't let it deter me from looking closer at a knife to determine the date.Before I would automatically discount it as being a newer date.Did that make sense?I haven't had my coffee this morning.Toby
 
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