gailt,
If you read the tang stamp with the knife pointed down, you have one of the earliest 102s made after Buck began adding the model number to the tang stamp. If the tang stamp on your knife is read with the knife pointed up, then it came along a bit later. This later stamping lasted from about 1972 until 1986 when Buck started using date codes. Sometime around 1982, the steel was switched from 440C to 425 modified. There is no "marker" which signifies this change on the fixed blade knives and it did not happen all at once, but rather, as existing 440C blades were used up, the new blades were made of 425 modified.
jmaraglia,
I think you indicated that your knife was like the one pictured in the Buck "history" book on page 92 or so. I looked up the picture earlier this week and that knife was one made by Hoyt Buck and sold by mail order. Joe Houser has a good article on the pre-factory production knives in the 5th edition to Levine's Guide. It will give you much more info.
All,
A comment I have made in the past bears repeating for newcomers. I do not want to enter the controversy regarding Levine's Guide 5th edition and the heartburn and comments that Bernard Levine has about it due to his dispute with the publisher. But, I can say that for Buck collectors, the 5th edition is by far the best. It is more accurate and has three new articles near the back of the book about Buck knives. Although some of the pricing is already out of date, it is still more accurate than the earlier editions. Also, on the accuracy, please note that some of what Vern Taylor had submitted for the original version was edited and, as a result, the published version was not exactly what Vern had written nor exactly what he wanted to convey. So please do not take my comments as criticism about Vern's contributions.
