Black is beautiful!

R

redshanks

Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
711
My first black Schrade is an LB7 and is spectacular! The scales are black micarta, the bolsters, coin, and pins are gold-toned, not brass. The blade is highly polished gun metal blue with a gold Copenhagen/Skoal etch. I can't get the colors right and still have the etch show in this scan:

cope4Small.jpg


cope5Small.jpg
 
The Copenhagen/Skoal knives were all nice. Some were rather plain, some were fancy, most were black or green Delrin, a few were wood. They sponsored the Skoal Bandit/Harry Gant race team, and pro rodeo also, and were very fond of using Schrade knives as promotions. All manly subjects. I guess women didn't use snuff or chew. They had to settle for the Camel and Marlboro etched knives. The C/KLB7 is a pattern I had not yet seen. I'll add it to the list! Congrats!

Codger
 
I am curious to know when the knife was made. There is no serial number on the bolster, but under magnification, I did notice something unusual. The marking on the tang (Schrade U.S.A. LTD) is actually engraved, not stamped or etched.
 
We have gotten no answer on this question from the tobacco company. Maybe a tobacco distributor or shop owner would know? Best guess is late eighties (SK154 sometimes called 154G, and 165COPE). There is a Copenhagen Golden Spike on right now, and about four other patterns including an LB5 in wood.

Codger
 
I took a photo and it shows the colors more accurately than the previous scans I posted. I've never seen anything like it, what do you think?

edit: It just occurred to me, the blade is not marked Schrade+. Stainless is very difficult to blue. The bluing is so deep on this blade you can see yourself like in a mirror. I wonder if this blade is made from 1095?

cope7Small2.jpg
 
Beautiful knife, just gorgeous.
Yep, Stainless is impossible to blue. Has to be carbon steel. This knife just keeps getting better and better.

Yes, the knife has four pins, but looking at the Debbie Chase compiled listings in BR Levine's 4th, I see that the Skoal/Copes were issued between 1992 and 1194. The closest description to this knife I can find is: "Black LB7, gold Copenhagen shield, blued.... 1994"

This is the coolest looking private limited edition Schrade I've seen.
Phil
 
That is a beauty Redshanks!

I got a LB7 off eBay a while back that has a number of 0000, and has an Eagle, Globe and Anchor inlaid in the rosewood scale. According to the seller it was a prototype. The blade has a eagle etched on it with a banner that says; "If you love your freedom thank a vet."

Mine is nice but yours is exceptional. I really like the blue blade. I think yours is the best looking LB7 I have seen!

Congratulation.
 
Schrade made some real beauties and I feel lucky to be the temporary custodian of this example. The back side doesn't look too bad, but I can't take a photo that does this knife justice:

cope6Small.jpg
 
That is a real beauty redshanks... :thumbup:

May I borrow from Ms. Chase, just to add a little more intrigue?.....
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UH Fan
Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: New York
Posts: 85

Hi guys. I missed you too. The only obvious indicator of LB7's years of manufacture is the number of pins in the cover. The LB7 was first manufactured in 1978 with 4 pins in the winewood cover and 1 pin visible in the bolster. Approximately 1991, this was changed to 3 pins in the winewood cover and 1 pin visible in the bolster. In 1992, the 3 pins in the cover were still used, and the boster pin, although it was still there, was no longer visible.
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I also looked this one up in BRL's #4, but Phil was already light years ahead of me with the information. However, I thought the visible bolster pin was also of interest, and I thought I remembered some discussion about it.

All in all, as they used to say on Laugh-In...

Verrrry interesting!

Bill
 
Very, very nice indeed. I'm a huge fan of the LB7 (& LB5) & Buck 110's. That's a great find. I picked up a new COPE165 about a year ago on Ebay. Didn't know what COPE was till I found out here.
 
Mick57, there is a very good chance we bid against each other on the 165. I have been trying to get one for quite a while, but not willing to pay a high price to get it. Those black scales are handsome on the Woodsman, and I always thought it was a shame they didn't use them (and green ) on a production series of that pattern. Both colors really set off the large brass guard, and using brass rivets and shield really completes the look. Can you post a good picture of your C165 for me to drool over?

Codger
 
Codger_64 said:
Mick57, there is a very good chance we bid against each other on the 165. I have been trying to get one for quite a while, but not willing to pay a high price to get it. Those black scales are handsome on the Woodsman, and I always thought it was a shame they didn't use them (and green ) on a production series of that pattern. Both colors really set off the large brass guard, and using brass rivets and shield really completes the look. Can you post a good picture of your C165 for me to drool over?

Codger
Click to expand...

Codger,
I wish I could remember what I paid for it. I know it wasn't out of sight, or I wouldn't have gone for it. I'm thinking it was somewhere around $50-60. I went through my money order receipts because I usually mark on them what item it was for. There's about 10 that I didn't write the item down, so I'm sure one of them is for this knife. Like you said, it is very nice with the black scales & the gold Schrade shield between the 1st 2 brass rivets.
The only thing I didn't care for was a visable seam showing down the center of the brass guard. Not a big deal really, as overall it is very nice.
Schrade
COPE USA.. is on the tang, with Limited Edition etched on the center of the blade in black. I'm sorry, but I don't have a digital camera as of yet. It's one of those things on my list of things to get, but I keep putting it off. When I do get one, I'll also have to learn how to post pics. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to computers.
 
No problem Mick. I often have to refind what I paid for a knife, usually by looking through my feedback if it has not been a long time. Here are the last three I watched on ebay from my records:
#6534867363 End May-30 $50.00
#6538676366 End June-16 $56.00
#6542537829 End July-03 $104.25
And here is one picture I have of a C165 Copenhagen. It does not do the knife justice!




Codger
 
Codger_64 said:
No problem Mick. I often have to refind what I paid for a knife, usually by looking through my feedback if it has not been a long time. Here are the last three I watched on ebay from my records:
#6534867363 End May-30 $50.00
#6538676366 End June-16 $56.00
#6542537829 End July-03 $104.25
And here is one picture I have of a C165 Copenhagen. It does not do the knife justice!




Codger
Click to expand...

Yep, that's it Codger. It came with a brown leather sheath that is very well made. I've always preferred fixed blades with the full tang like this one. The more I thought about it, I think it was more than a year ago when I got it. Probably more like 1 1/2- 2 yrs. ago. I'm gonna dig through the receipts again & see if I can come up with the one for that knife. Tough getting old.
 
Those of you who like the black delrin should take a look at the Craftsman Schrade knives and the Imperial Double Eagles. Both are way undervalued and both are still U.S. made Schrades. Perhaps Phil has some pictures of the Double Eagles he can post. Many of the blade designs are adaptations of the familiar Schrade Sharpfinger, Drop Point Hunter, and others (or vise-versa).

Codger
 
G.D.B is Grand Dad Barlow.
I'll guess the I is for Imperial.
TTYL
Larry
 
Tough to say without seeing the stamp, etc. but the full name was "Grand Dad's Old Timer Barlow Limited Edition", and the blade etch is "Grand Dad's OT Barlow LTD.", so maybe the "I" is an "1"? The paperwork certificate calls it GDB-1. And most had fancy pressed filework on the spine of the backsprings. Circa 1982?

Codger
 
Thanks. That helps.
It is definitely G.D.B.I. The tang stamp is very clear and the serif at the top and bottom of the I is very apparent as is the period after it. Actually it looks like this- I.
Maybe it does stand for Imperial. There is no file work on the backsprings.
Thanks Mike & Larry. I appreciate the help.

Dale
 
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