7OT or LB7, year of my birth

[silenthunterstudios]

I'm looking for either a 7OT or LB7, made when I was born, 1979. I barely know how to determine date of manufacture for Buck and Case knives, alright, I don't know squat unless I have a knife book right in front of me. A Schrade Cave Bear was my first real knife, given to me by a neighbor. I promptly broke the tip off by slamming it into a fence post, and over time ground the broken tip into a tip with a sharpening stone. After a time, I sold it on the evilBay, bought a brand new one, then sold that one. The 7 is not as flashy or stylish as one of my other traditional knives, but I want one. Specifically, made in 1979. I've had numerous Old Timer designs, and while I like the delrin handles, I saw a Schrade 895, and found an 895+ from about almost ten years ago. My favorite used to be the 8OT stockman, but after seeing the 895, I was sold. Are there any 7 series lockbacks out there with "nicer" scales? Looking for bone or wood scales, no 110 clones, but something that looks like your basic 7OT/LB7.

 

[Dave Thinkstoomuch]

You can indeed find LB7, LB9 (guthook blade) and 7OT knives in stag and different colours of wood. I can't say as I recall any of these that were specifically made in 1979. That was right at the beginning of the "Bear Paw" saga and "The Ultimate Lockback" was sold promoting it's "Wondawood" handles. As per Codger: "Serial numbers 334586 - 785250 were produced in 1979 when 450,665 LB7's were made." Some of the very earliest LB8 knives (with delrin fake-stag handles and still stamped "LB7") would have been made in 1979.

Good luck on your hunt!