Another Kissing Crane(s) question?

[PeterDE]

I bought the knife below at a local gun show. It is marked R. Klaas 175th Anniversary and has Robi Klass, Solingen Germany, has the Kissing cranes symbol on the tang. On the back of the tang is 191R which I take to be the model number. It is what they call a Trapper. On the second blade is the Kissing Cranes symbol and just Germany. On the handle is the shield with the Kissing Cranes symbol and Solingen.

OK here's where the question arise. Look at the pics of the box. It says obviously China on the end of the box, and Kissing Crane (no S) And 170 Years, not 175. So obviously the box is Made in China. I suspect (not positive yet) that this knife and this box don't match. If it was a 175th Anniversary that would mean the knife was made about 2009 (give or take a year) and this doesn't match what's on the box.

I have read through many of the threads here on Klaas and Kissing Cranes, especially http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1146563-Kissing-Crane(s)-German-or-Chinese?highlight=klaas+kissing+crane
and the knife seems to match what people have said about knives made in Germany VS made in China. So I think maybe it was made in Germany and someone mixed up he boxes. Any Ideas. It really isn't critical. I bought it thinking it was made in China, but hey, it would be a nice bonus it was made in Germany.

 

[supratentorial]

Wrong box. If you check the UPC code, the box is for a toothpick pattern with ram's horn covers... at least that's what it pulled up on a search.

 

[PeterDE]

Didn't even think of that. Thanks. Am I right that the knife is made in Germany, not china?

 

[supratentorial]

I know very little about the brand. Sorry. I just plugged the UPC into Google and it found a matching entry in a UPC database.

 

[PeterDE]

Strange thing is, I have seen lots of these on-line in Yellow Delrin, but not a single one in red. Maybe I should move this to the Solingen thread?

 

[afishhunter]

Nice find.
I'd wager it was made in Germany, but I am far from an expert on the brand.

 

[knarfeng]

My understanding is that they Guild folks in Solingen are very protective of the term "Solingen" and will go after anyone who stamps it on a blade made elsewhere. So if that is stamped on the knife, my bet is that it is German.

 

[PeterDE]

I have been searching the internet for others of this type of knife and any other info on it. The 191 is the model, which is the Trapper, and R stands for Red Delrin (the handle). Out of the hundreds of R. Klaas Kissing Cranes knives of all types I have seen only three in Red Delrin. None of the red were this model. However I have seen many of this model in Yellow Delrin, and Dark Red Bone. Just 1 in Black Delrin. So Yellow seems to be the predominant color. Also there were many models produced with the 175th Anniversary embossed on the main blade. R. Klaas moved production to the US in 2010, but the knives are made in several places, mostly in China. A few models, mostly Stilettos, are made in Italy.