Codger knowledge needed

jmclfrsh

jmclfrsh

Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
1,379
Codger,

Do you know when Schrade started putting lanyard holes in the Mustang 125 OT? Some have them, some do not.

Is the presence of one an indication it is an older model, a newer one of the run or was it done for a while and discontinued as a practice?

I had one in the 70s, and looking back I think mine had one but at the time I had no idea why it was there. I may be mistaken though, that was almost 40 years ago.

I was fortunate to find a BNIB original USA-made one that was never sold in a variety store in Illinois before it was closed down, and it arrives in a couple of days. It does not have a lanyard hole, but boy am I glad I found it.


Thanks again Codger, for sharing the wealth of knowledge you so kindly do with we grasshoppers!
 
The thong hole was an on-again-off-again affair inherited from it's predecessor pattern the 225 folding hunter. Robert Clemente states:

"In 1971 there was a hole, no hole from 1974-75. hole again from 1976-1991, 1992-1997 no hole"
Click to expand...

Robert did an exhaustive survey of the catalogs for his reference book, "A catalog history of Schrade knives". But as one might guess, catalog illustrations did not always jive in exacting details with minor production changes. No other real record of the feature's coming and going exists to my knowledge.

Sorry I can't be of more help. It has been my experience that the only way to really nail down dates of production changes is to do an exhaustive survey of every knife that comes on the market or appears in others' collections. Packaging is a must since it offers the best clues to dating via logos, copyright dates, company name and address changes and slogans. You need not wonder why, in view of this, I have so many Sharpfingers and am constantly looking for more, preferably new in the box or with a date specific etch, limited edition or SFO. It is expensive and time consuming. But having just the catalogs is not enough. I have them. And from them I get the clues mentioned above on the packaging. You now have one job. Buy as many new in the box Mustangs as you possible can and build a photo archive of the ones you can't buy. I look foreward to reading your research!
 
The Schrade folding hunters in all their iterations often had the thong hole drilled (or punched?) through the brass liners even when there was no external lanyard hole.
 
Reading threads like this really makes me appreciate this forum. Not only do we have some tremendously knowledgable posters, but like Codger, they're also willing to share their knowledge. I try to learn something new each day, and this forum has made that task easier and more enjoyable. That said, I've still got a lot to learn... on a good day, I'm lucky to spell 'Case' correctly. ;)
 
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Old & In The Way said:
Reading threads like this really make me appreciate this forum. Not only do we have some tremendously knowledgable posters, but like Codger, they're also willing to share their knowledge. I try to learn something new each day, and this forum has made that task easier and more enjoyable. That said, I've still got a lot to learn... on a good day, I'm lucky to spell 'Case' correctly. ;)
Click to expand...

It is the case that Codger is still learning every day. Some of the questions here make me dig deep in old research, posts, catalogs and reference books. I get enjoyment from it. I enjoy being able to share the answers I find, even when they are just partial and not definitive, as in this case. By the way, America works with Srade. I mean Shrade. Schrade... Yeah, that's what I meant! :p
 
Codger_64 said:
It is the case that Codger is still learning every day. Some of the questions here make me dig deep in old research, posts, catalogs and reference books. I get enjoyment from it. I enjoy being able to share the answers I find, even when they are just partial and not definitive, as in this case. By the way, America works with Srade. I mean Shrade. Schrade... Yeah, that's what I meant! :p
Click to expand...

It's been a long day, thanks for the laugh! :D
 
Codger, Thank You for the clarification. You ROCK!

My original was a 1975 model, I bought it when I started FFA in my sophomore year. The new one on the way must be a 1992-1997 model. Still a wonder new ones can be found occasionally so many years later.

I'm glad all the wear on it will be from me again, kinda cool. I know I'll probably be carrying it more than I do any other knife once again.

Now if only I could lose the pant sizes...
 
Some further info about dateing, fyi. If you bought the knife in 1975, that means it was made in 1975 or before. A retailer may have had it in stock for a year or two. And the same for the jobber (wholesaler) the merchant got it from. This is why I say that the most reliable dateing method is the packaging, assuming that neither the merchant nor subsequent owners had several and put the knife in the wrong box with the wrong papers.

Yes, I have new in the box knives from 40-50 years ago. They do still exist and are not that hard to find with some patience and diligence. As an example, one of my prime pattern collections, the Schrade-Walden/Schrade 165OT & UH was hit quite heavily in a theft this fall. Among the knives they stole was my user that I got back when I was a young guy, late sixties or early seventies. I had kept up with that knife all this time and used it afield for years. I had some very important memories tied to that knife. But it was gone now. So I went through my remaining new in the box examples and pulled out one with some peppering from long term storage and it is now my new/old user. Enjoy your new/old knife! Using is what they were made for!
 
Codger you are truly one of the Greatest assets on this forum. I enjoy all your posts. Thank you for your amazing knowledge and kindness to us all. :)
 
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