Buck 120 1981 3 spacer help...

Silly Rabbit

Silly Rabbit

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IMG_2606.JPG IMG_2604.JPG IMG_2605.JPG I'm going to a gun show this weekend and will be selling a few knives...
This 120 appears to be 1981 3 spacer which some claim is desirable
I obviously don't want to give it away for an incorrect price
Can anyone confirm/deny that this is actually as I describe or am I mistaken?
Also what would current maket value be in very nice unsharpended (appears unused at all) shape?
 
The 119 and 120 went to three Micarta spacers earlier than the rest of the 100 Series. I'd say this knife is from the mid 70s considering the old style grind, three line stamp, and flap sheath. As for value, you might check completed auctions on eBay for 120s with these same features.

ETA: The blade on this knife is 440C.
 
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Don't get too excited, but in my estimation that Buck 120 is worth much more than I am. :)
(I've never thought I was/am worth much... if anything. :) )

An exceptionally nice 120 you have there. :)
 
Ok cool thanks, I just wanted to be sure that the 3 line 3 spacer wasn't something odd
I do see completed eBay's running in low 100s
 
Price, of course, is mostly about how bad you want to sell it and how bad somebody wants to buy it from you.

Getting the best price could mean taking it to several gun shows until the right guy came along.

If you have a need to sell quickly you may have to give somebody a bargain.

All part of buying and selling. Lots of gun show folks are just there to get a bargain.

If you search "Completed Items" on e-Bay you will see that a lot of the knives with high prices take several listings to finally sell........and the price goes down with each listing.

Still, you have a very nice example of the 120 there and if you can take your time you should get an equally fine return on it.
 
As TAH said, the 119 and 120 transitioned to 3 spacers earlier, probably about 74 or so while the other 100 series knives did not until 1981.
The end result, 3 spacers are the most common variation for the 119 and 120 and rarer for the others which were 3 spacers only in 1981.
And so it follows that the 3-line 4 spacers are rare for the 119 and 120 and the most commonly found for the other 100 series knives in the 70's
Late 81/82 starts 2 spacers on all.
120's always do a little better on price because of their size.
Good luck with it. /Roger
 
I have a 119 w/ the same spacers & a snoopy sheath. The same grind as well. I've thought it was a 81. DM
 
David Martin said:
I have a 119 w/ the same spacers & a snoopy sheath. The same grind as well. I've thought it was a 81. DM
Click to expand...

David, it probably is an '81 being that it came with a snoopy sheath.

Flap sheath - pre '76
Swivel sheath - '77-'80
Snoopy sheath - '81- ?
 
Speaking of 1981.........whenever we're doing these fine discussions on knives of that period we should keep in mind that at the end of '81 Buck was in severe trouble and wondering if they could survive a sudden downturn in the economy.

People weren't buying knives and Buck's warehouse was full of them. Many of their dedicated dealers had gone out of business. Buck had to lay off about 300 employees.......about half the work force--and that hurt, because they regarded the employees as family.

Buck didn't make many knives in '82.......they were selling knives made in '81.

They had to borrow millions to survive--and interest rates were at 16% in those days.

So......when there seem to be chronological anomalies in knives around or a few years past 1981.......keep in mind that some knives, blades and other parts probably sat in inventory in the warehouse for a year or two......some maybe for more.
 
A bit late to the party, but I have this stag handled Buck 120 entered in my records as being made in 1981. You can easily see it has the 425MOD steel style blade grind while the one below has the older grind associated with 440C blade steel. Unfortunately I bought the stag handled knife in a pawnshop some years ago and it was missing the sheath. OH
Buck-120-General-1981-Stag-and-1972-80-1.jpg
 
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