"Black Box" Winchesters

I thought I'd bring this old thread back from the dead with a small addition, as well as a reminder to keep an eye out for these ten-plus-year-old knives before they become scarce.

The Blue Grass Cutlery "Black Box" Winchesters made by Queen in the '80s and '90s are still some of the nicest affordable and readily available NIB factory slippies around. They have Queen's Schatt & Morgan-quality fit 'n' finish with nice crisp swedges, but unlike many Queen-made knives these days, the Winchesters I've handled have all been more or less razor-sharp 1095 carbon steel, rather than the usual ho-hum 420 stainless.

Here's a recently acquired (I've been on a Wharncliffe kick lately) 38097-P 3-5/8" closed whittler from '96.

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If you have any new "Black Box" additions, post 'em!
 
these are great knives as well as the red & white boxes that followed. very pretty but collectors have really driven up prices recentally i saw 2 red & whites 98 or 99 go for 165 very recently. do'nt know if i can talk prices here . appreciate a member informing me. suffice to say it looks like these are going to go up. the old time patterns along with great quality makes these winners.
 
I do like that one! I'd been looking for an excuse to pull this one from it's display case. I do love that bone! Another one from the '88 batch. W15 3904 Whittler. The edge is almost nonexistent. Being a traditionalist, the jigging pattern is one of my favorites.
XXX
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These Winchesters were the GEC of their time. Too bad we didn't have better sporting goods stores where I live back then, and Al Gore hadn't perfected his Internet yet! I have a black box coffin handle jack and a white box cannitler, both just awesome knives!
 
navihawk said:
Thanks Elliot. If I remember right, when they were for sale, they were a bargain.
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I think they can still be found at reasonable prices from the online purveyors that have stock. A few of the models seemed pricey but most very fair.

Then again, I've only had a handful of the patterns so can't speak with the authority of Greg and some of the other members that own a large sample.
 
I have about 10 of these "Black Box'ers". I'd be interested to see a complete list of all the knives in this series. I think it would be a long list.
This 1995 30081, 3 3/8" Wharncliffe Whittler with Waterfall handles is my favorite so far.

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roland
 
That's a nice one, Roland. Waterfall celluloid is a handle material we don't see very often around here, which is a shame. I love that stuff. My first new slipjoint as an adult was a big Case Classic Clasp knife with Waterfall scales. In fact, it was the color, "movement" and evocative name of that material that drew me to traditional knives in the first place.
 
Roland. See page 5 and post #85 in this thread. That gives us the bone ones anyhow. As far as the stag and pearl, We're gonna have to look a bit deeper. I found it once out there in the interweb. This link has a bunch of stuff. I believe that one of Sargent's books has the complete breakdown. I'm would think that Clarence might be a good source.
http://www.bluegrasscutlery.com/bluegrasscutlery/content/winchester.html
Greg
 
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I've got one like in mckgreg's very first post - a dogleg? with the candlestick bolster? Love that pattern, hate the crack it developed after two weeks here in Vegas. Risner still has a lot of those doesn't he?

Mike
 
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Thats the nicest Congress I've seen in a while Greg. It has everything; swedges,pinched, slanted and grooved bolsters, nail grooves in the scales, bar shield, swayback, and the most traditional(I think) blade configuration.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Elliot, I was just looking at the big auction site. Your right, there's a good number of bargains as well as retail black box knives out there. They even have a delrin series. Any way other than the description of telling the delrin from the bone ones? Some of the boxes have red script across them, others are just black with a label. Maybe the delrin models have the red? Some of the descriptions don't elude to the fact that they may be delrin.
 
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navihawk said:
Elliot, I was just looking at the big auction site. Your right, there's a good number of bargains as well as retail black box knives out there. They even have a delrin series. Any way other than the description of telling the delrin from the bone ones? Some of the boxes have red script across them, others are just black with a label. Maybe the delrin models have the red? Some of the descriptions don't elude to the fact that they may be delrin.
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This (incomplete) list should be somewhat helpful and there may be additional info available online.

(Click on "Winchester Knives" on the left side of the page after visiting the link above.)
 
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